QUETTA: The Balochistan Assembly has adopted a resolution, asking the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to postpone the local bodies’ elections in the province.

Minister for Higher Education and Information Mir Zahoor Ahmed Buledi moved a joint resolution in the house on behalf of all members late on Monday evening.

Speaker Mir Abdul Qudoos Bizenjo presided over the session.

Speaking on the resolution, Mr Buledi said the local bodies’ institutions have completed their four-year-term and during this period the census was conducted in the country.

After the new census, he said, conducting delimitation of constituencies is a constitutional obligation.

House was informed that after new census conducting delimitation of constituencies is a constitutional obligation

He said the Balochistan government had informed the ECP that the time was not enough for holding the local government elections, but the commission announced to hold the polls.

The minister said the government also wanted to upgrade the local bodies’ institutions. “Holding local bodies elections on the basis of old delimitations would be injustice with the people of Balochistan,” he added.

“Some of the constituencies in Quetta have a population of over 100,000 people, which needs a proper delimitation,” Mr Buledi said.

He said the local bodies’ institutions should be given more powers and the 2010 Act should be amended.

Speaking on the resolution, Sana Baloch of the Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) said every federating unit had a right to establish local bodies’ institutions and it had constitutional powers to enact the local bodies’ law.

He said holding the election was the responsibility of the ECP, while passing legislations was the right of the provincial governments.

He said after forming his government Prime Minister Imran Khan had announced to bring new local bodies’ system in the country and had formed a task force for removing flaws in the existing system.

He said unfortunately the local bodies’ institutions in Balochistan could not deliver because the province did not have a better local bodies’ law.

Parliamentary leader of the National Party Asghar Khan Achakzai said the local bodies’ elections should be postponed for some time. He said the ECP wanted to hold local bodies elections in May while Ramazan would begin in the same month.

He said delimitations had not been completed so far and after that the people would move courts against delimitations.

He said the drought had also affected the people so the province should be given more time to hold local bodies’ elections.

However, Nasarullah Zerey of the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party opposed the resolution, saying that why the provincial government had not started work on preparing new reforms after coming to power in August last year.

He said the government should hold local bodies’ election without wasting time.

Published in Dawn, February 13th, 2019