KARACHI: Amid uncertainty about the fate of local government polls in Sindh as both ruling and opposition parties are willing to postpone the much-awaited democratic process, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Friday finally started execution of the second phase of the polls for the municipal bodies inviting nomination papers from candidates from Karachi and Hyderabad divisions while going into process of printing over 50 million ballot papers for the first phase from early next week.

Officials, party leaders and sources privy to the process said that the formal process for the second phase of LG elections in two divisions of Sindh had kicked off and the polling would take place two months later on July 24.

In the second phase, elections are to be held in Karachi and Hyderabad divisions after completion of voting under the first phase on June 26 in Sukkur, Larkana, Shaheed Benazirabad and Mirpurkhas divisions.

“The ECP today [Friday] started inviting nomination papers through returning officers for Karachi and Hyderabad divisions,” said an official. “Hundreds of nomination forms were obtained on first day. The process would continue for next three days. Four days — from June 8 to 11 — have been fixed for filing of the nomination papers. Then the process would further proceed, including publication of nominated candidates’ names, scrutiny of the papers, filing objections, withdrawal and other formalities. The final list would be issued on June 28 and polling would be held on July 24.”

Printing of over 50m ballots for first phase of election to start next week

He said there were a total of 1,476 seats in different categories across Karachi for which thousands of candidates were expected in the contest in 246 union committees of the city. The process of acquiring nomination forms, he said, would further gather momentum in the following days.

The details shared by the ECP official sound quite normal and imply that the process for the upcoming LG polls is going smooth.

Uncertainty

However, the political and governmental situation developing parallel to the ECP’s regular exercise suggests that preparations for the crucial LG polls and the parties’ efforts to postpone it have put the multi-billion rupee exercise at stake.

The situation looks more disturbing when the ECP continues to go with its defined schedules to hold elections in time spending the required budget of billions of rupees and at the same time the political stakeholders mull over delaying the process for certain reasons.

Concerns of many observers remain unheard who imagine a scenario of the financial and administrative consequences if the ECP continues with its constitutional exercise making all arrangements in place for the polls, but the parties succeed in pursuing postponement of the process before the date of voting.

“The process of first phase of the local bodies’ polls is almost done,” said a source privy to the details of ECP arrangement for the polls. “Even symbols have been allotted to hundreds of candidates in four divisions of Sindh — Sukkur, Larkana, Shaheed Benazirabad and Mirpurkhas. Now the printing of ballot papers are expected to start next week. For over 12 million voters more or less 50 million ballots will be printed. It would cost millions of rupees or even close to a billion. This is an expense of just one account. The figures would turn multi-billion if you count the spending on the exercise when the process is formally started.”

The LG polls, he said, were being held in light of the Supreme Court verdict on the Sindh Local Government Act of 2013, which had necessitated amendments to the existing LG law.

The MQM had questioned the 2013 LG law before the SC, pleading that it negates Article 140-A of the Constitution, which calls for ‘political, administrative and financial responsibility and authority’ to be given to elected representatives of LGs.

“The Election Commission has, however, announced that the polling schedule before the amendments has been made and there is, therefore, considerable uncertainty regarding how the exercise will proceed,” said the source.

“Some political stakeholders like Jamaat-e-Islami and Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan are already in the [Sindh] High Court challenging the Sindh Local Government (Amendment) Act, 2021 through separate petitions stating that the amendments were in violation of various provisions of the Constitution as well as the February 1 order of the Supreme Court.”

These parties, he said, had also sought implementation of the apex court judgement on the empowerment of local government system in Sindh.

He said that on the other hand, other major parties, including Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Grand Democratic Alliance had already showed their agreement for postponement of the LG polls further polls making situation further uncertain.

Published in Dawn, June 4th, 2022