KARACHI: Elected in the two phases of the local government (LG) elections across Sindh, over 10,000 municipal public representatives will take their oath of membership on Monday (today).

According to a notification of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), over 10,000 elected local government (LG) representatives, including UC chairmen and vice chairmen of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation and five municipal corporations, 23 district councils, town committees and municipal committees, would take oath during ceremonies to be held at different places in the province.

The ECP had assigned the duties of coordinating officers to deputy commissioners (DCs), assistant commissioners (ACs) and other officials.

Sources said arrangements had been completed and the process would be held from 10am to 4pm at the designated places.

Oath-taking ceremonies to be held in govt offices, schools, wedding halls, etc

The sources said the DCs, ACs and other relevant authorities had been entrusted with the duties of returning officers (ROs).

1,460 to take oath in Karachi

Out of the total 1,476 municipal representatives in Karachi, over 1,460 elected ones are expected to take oath.

They said that in Karachi the ROs had arranged the oath-taking events at various government offices, wedding halls and other places.

The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has a lead in the seats of chairmen and vice-chairmen of the union committee in Karachi while the Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) has a clear majority of ward councillors.

No party has a simple majority for the election of mayor and deputy mayor of Karachi.

The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) has announced its support for the JI, but due to the recent political situation of the PTI, there are threats of internal disintegration and grouping in the JI and PTI, which might risk the fielding of joint candidates by the two parties.

Many elected representatives of the PTI have been booked in cases pertaining to May 9 violence and it remains to be seen whether they will be allowed to take oath or face arrests.

At this time, according to the final and unofficial results, by adding the party quota, the number of KMC members belonging to the JI and PTI is 193 while the number of the alliance of the PPP, Pakistan Muslim League-N and JUI is 173. Only one member is from the Tehreek Labaik Pakistan in the City Council.

For the post of mayor, each party needs the support of 184 members in the first stage. If no candidate can get the required number of votes in the first stage, then in the second stage, the one who gets the majority of the members in the house will win the mayoral election.

PPP sources claim that around two dozen elected chairmen of the PTI were in their contact and ready to support its nominated candidate.

However, it is widely said that if the elected representatives of the JI and PTI remained united, then JI’s Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman could emerge as a joint candidate and be easily elected as mayor.

Also, the nomination process on seats reserved for women, labourers/peasants, youth, minority and transgender persons will begin on Monday (today).

Published in Dawn, May 22nd, 2023