ISLAMABAD - The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday once again directed the provinces to take measures for holding Local Government elections on time.
A meeting of ECP held under the chairmanship of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) also asked the provinces to provide complete documents, rules, newly formed laws, maps and amendment in laws related to the LG.
The Commission once again expressed serious concern over non-provision of the required information related to the proposed rules including necessary notifications, maps, chronological order of census blocks of religious minorities, and other related documents from all the provinces.
In the meeting the commission was briefed that ECP in the light of new LG system in Punjab had frequently asked the Punjab government to provide important maps and documents so that to start work on new delimitation of neighbourhood and village council; but the Punjab government didn’t take it serious and is yet to provide the data.
On the matter of LG elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the Commission was informed that the KP government has made different changes in the LG Act 2019 and is yet to provide the Commission with the new rules of LG and important documents needed for delimitation process due to which the LG elections in KP did not take place on due date.
The Commission was further informed that the tenure of LG in Sindh is going to be ended in August this year; however, the ECP has also sent them notice and has asked the Sindh government for the details of amendments in LG Act 2013, copies of the amended rules, and also the details for delimitation but the Sindh government is yet to respond to the notice. On the matter of LG elections in Balochistan the commission was informed that the matter of holding LG elections in Balochistan was pending in Balochistan High Court, however, the Commission has asked the Balochistan government to provide the Copy of amended LG rules 2010.
In today’s meeting the ECP was also briefed over the progress of the different projects of ECP.
The ECP on the occasion directed the concern heads of all the department’s to complete their projects within due time in order to pave the way for holding next elections with no delay.
It is important to mention that the incumbent government is reluctant to hold the LG elections in the country due to their doubts of defeat in the elections.
In KP the government has already missed the deadline of holding the LG elections within 120 days after the expiry of last tenure which was expired in the month of August 2019.
However, in Punjab the government unlikely to hold the LG elections within the due date because the Punjab government has failed to provide the required data to the commission on new election rules.
