HYDERABAD: While the Election Commission of Pakistan has fixed January 15 as the new date for holding local government elections in Karachi and Hyderabad divisions, Sindh Governor Kamran Khan Tessori cast doubts over the plan saying concerns over delimitation and security were the biggest hurdles in holding the much-delayed exercise.

He was talking to journalists at Akbari Ground in Latifabad after attending a prize distribution ceremony on Friday.

He said being the representative of the federation he spoke on behalf of all the parties which expressed reservations on the local government elections.

“The Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan has raised the issue of delimitation and it wants this to be resolved first [before the LG polls] and that security should be ensured,” he said, adding that delimitation in Karachi and Hyderabad was not properly carried out.

Says new administrative units can be created with stakeholders’ consensus; meets Ayaz Palijo

“The Election Commission of Pakistan has fixed a date [for LG polls] and the Sindh government has to respond to it. The polls must be held as these are needed. The MQM had called for a strong LG system and moved the Supreme Court for implementation of Article 140-A. Ever since the SC’s [Feb 1] order everyone is waiting for its implementation,” he said.

He said besides security, delimitation of local government constituencies was the biggest hurdle in holding LG polls.

He said that some parties had been demanding adequate security for the polls in view of their experiences of recent by-elections.

Talking about the population census, he said: “The census must be held afresh to count population properly.”

He said he had special affection for Hyderabad, which had always given its mandate to parties like MQM.

New administrative units

The governor also met with Qaumi Awami Tehrik (QAT) president Ayaz Latif Palijo at his residence.

Accompanied by Mr Palijo, the governor responded to a question about the thoughts he shared on a television channel on new administrative units in the country.

He told reporters that new administrative units could be created if all stakeholders agreed on it. “All stakeholders sit on a table to think about Pakistan’s future and to discuss what is needed and what is not,” he said.

However, Mr Palijo interjected and repeated his stance that Sindh was one for thousands of years and his party would not like to see any discussion, debate or proposal that may undermine province’s integrity.

Replying to another question, the governor said that he would approach the federal government to see whether some legislation could be carried out to check the arrival of illegal immigrants.

“These immigrants should be taken care of in the border areas and their influx should be checked through some legislation,” he said.

He said he would consult the interior ministry to see the refugees coming from Afghanistan or any other point should be settled here.

He said no one would patronise the suspects in Matiari and Naushahro Feroze Motorway scandals and they would certainly face a legal action.

About flood situation, he said that the Sindh government was responding to the needs of affected people.

He said that he had met survivors and was disturbed to see the miserable conditions they were living in.

QAT president Palijo said he urged the governor to seek a package for Sindh in view of floods.

He said crops on 60pc of land could not be cultivated and the federal government, which had remained irrelevant to Sindh for the past 10 years, must play its role.

He said flood victims were left high and dry after initial government’s response.

He demanded thorough investigations into Naushahro Feroze and Matiari scandals and sought repatriation of illegal immigrants.

Published in Dawn, November 26th, 2022