The Election Commission of Pakistan in the light of the Supreme Court’s remarks yesterday decided to defer the Local Government elections in 81 union councils of eight districts of Sindh.ECP Secretary Babar Yaqoob Fateh Muhammad addressing a press conference said the ECP has decided to postpone the LB polls in Hyderabad, Tando Allahyar, Mirpurkhas, Badin, Tharparkar, Nawab Shah, Jamshoro, Noshairo Fairoz.Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court asked the Election Commission of Pakistan to itself decide about postponement of Local Government elections in eight districts of Sindh, which is scheduled to be held today. The elections in second phase had to be held in 14 districts of Sindh today (November 19). The districts include Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas, Nawabshah, Dadu, Badin, Thatta, Sajawal, Tharparkar, Umerkot, Dando Allahyar, Tando Muhammad Khan, Matyari and Jamshoro. The election in Sanghar has already been deferred due to law and order situation. While it is tempting – and relatively easy – to lay the blame on the ECP’s doorstep, the real situation is far more complex. The players are numerous and all parties, from the apex court to the government share some part of the blame in the postponement of the LG polls. The Supreme Court gave a last gasp verdict, the Sindh High Court gave a flawed verdict requiring challenge and the provincial government carried out delimitations unsatisfactorily. In the middle of this all is the ECP, being shunted around by outside forces and sorely lacking in competence. Imran’s Khan’s calls for the heads of the provincial in charge of the ECP was extreme a few months ago, but in the light of the debacles in by-elections and the LG polls, some sort of accountability is crucial.A last minute postponement undermines months of campaigning by local aspirants, while filling the heads of the less informed ones with conspiracy theories. Unfortunately Pakistan People’s Party leader and Chief Minister Sindh, Qaim Ali Shah is one of them. Instead of reaffirming the people’s faith in the democratic process and explaining the reason for the delay he has gone on record to say that the delay seems like a “conspiracy” designed to disenfranchise the people of Sindh.
pk.shafaqna.com
