Sindh once again seeks postponement of Karachi, Hyderabad LG polls 

Karachi: Sindh Government has once again reached out to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for the delay in the local government polls in Karachi and Hyderabad this time citing ‘threats to various political leaders and workers’.

The Sindh government on Saturday reiterated its request to the ECP, seeking a delay in local government elections in Karachi and Hyderabad amid security concerns. 

A letter, in this regard, has been issued today by the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP)-led government which maintains that its decision to postpone elections in Karachi and Hyderabad was made due to the “security threats as warned by intelligence agencies”— stressing delimitation issue and non-availability of army troops for deployment at the polling stations.

According to the letter—a copy of which is available with gnnhd.tv— the local government department said a meeting was held at the chief secretary’s office yesterday (Friday) wherein “ officials apprised the participants of the precarious law and order situation along with specific threats to various political leaders and workers of political parties”.

The request comes less than 24 hours after the top electoral body had rejected the provincial government’s proposal to delay the polls, vowing that elections would be held on January 15, as scheduled. 

The electoral watchdog had also suspended the notification of the Sindh government against the Sindh LG Act, 2013. It had also rejected the provincial government's request to postpone elections in Dadu district due to the post-flood situation.

On Thursday, following a late-night huddle of the Sindh cabinet, the Sindh government announced the postponement of local body (LB) polls in Karachi and Hyderabad, and revoked the notification regarding new constituencies. 

It is pertinent to mention here that the second round of LG elections in 16 districts of Sindh was to be held on July 24, 2022. However, the Sindh administration had excused itself from holding the polls over the lack of security and police presence because of the floods. 

Subsequently, the LG elections were rescheduled for August 28, 2022 but the polls did not take place on that day and a new date was set, October 23, which was postponed too.