ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan on Thursday rejected all the allegations and criticism that it had delayed the election in different Union Councils of Sindh.
The statement comes hours after Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Co-Chairman, Asif Ali Zardari lashed out at the ECP for last-minute postponement of local bodies’ elections in Sindh.
“Deferment of local government elections in 81 Union Councils of Sindh in last minutes is a conspiracy to deprive PPP of public support,” said Zardari, who is also former President of Pakistan, in a statement.
The ECP also refuted criticism of some politicians that a day before the poll election had been postponed to favour, or to facilitate the candidates of any political party.
“The Commission denies the allegations and clarifies that High Court of Sindh passed an order on November 17, giving direction that the Election Commission would issue the revised lists keeping in view the instruction of the order/judgment on September 18, within 24 hours of this order, in such manner that the election process, which is scheduled for November 19, would not suffer and the elections be held as per the schedule,” said the spokesman.
He said that the matter was discussed in the Election Commission on the report submitted by the Provincial Election Commissioner Sindh that it is practically impossible to revise the list of constituencies within 24 hours and to hold polling on November 19.
The delimitation exercise requires sufficient time and is subject to the demarcation of urban and rural areas by the Provincial Government and issuance of notification in this regard.
Furthermore, it is not possible to hold poll on November 19, without completion of delimitation exercise to comply with order dated November 17, 2015 passed by the High Court of Sindh, he added.
Accordingly, Election Commission preferred an appeal in the Supreme Court of Pakistan whereby prayed that the judgment dated 17-11-2015 passed by a learned Division Bench of
High Court of Sindh at Karachi may kindly be suspended till the final disposal of instant case,” he maintained.
The Supreme Court heard the case and submission made by the Election Commission that all arrangements for holding poll on November 19 have been made, polling material delivered to the Presiding Officers and Electors are ready to elect the representatives.
The SC passed order: “Keeping in view the difficulty faced by the ECP and making compliance of the impugned order, we deem it appropriate to observe that in case it is not possible for the ECP to make compliance of High Court short order, then it may, on its own accord, consider postponement of the elections in the affected districts and for this purpose the directions contained
in the impugned order shall not come in their way”.
The ECP accordingly withdrew the schedule for local Government Elections in respect of affected
councils, in compliance of the orders passed by the Sindh High Court to revise the list of rural and urban areas councils, said the spokesman. The fresh schedule for elections will be announced after completion of delimitation exercise, he added.-APP/Samaa
ECP responds to Zardari’s criticism
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