ECP announces to hold local bodies elections in Karachi and Hyderabad on Jan 15

KARACHI (92 News) - The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has announced to hold the local bodies elections in Karachi and Hyderabad on January 15.

He remarked that the commission will decide on the matter soon. "The provincial government cannot do legislation for the postponement of the local bodies elections. It is prerogative of the Election Commission of Pakistan," he observed.

The CEC remarked that the commission could directly pass the order under Article 220, but the order should be implementable. ECP Member Nisar Durrani said that it was not violation of the constitution to postpone the local bodies elections.

Earlier, the Sindh IGP, Karachi Administrator Murtaza Wahab and the Interior Ministry had once again refused to provide security during the local bodies elections in Karachi. He told the ECP that the Sindh cabinet had decided to postpone the elections for 90 days.

The PTI, the PPP and the MQM supported the postponement of the local bodies elections for 90 days, while the Jamaat-e-Islami had opposed the postponement. Karachi JI ameer Hafiz Naeemur Rehman recommended that the local bodies elections should be held by calling the Army, FC or police from other provinces.