Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Saturday announced that the local government (LG) polls in Karachi and Hyderabad would be held on January 15 as per schedule announced earlier.
ECP issues statement about LG polls
The ECP issued a statement after a meeting that the LG polls will be held according to the previous schedule and necessary logistic has been mobilised for this purpose.
The ECP rejected the demand of the Sindh government which had sought to postpone the elections, citing security threats to various political leaders.
The ECP official handout said that the ECP has directed the Sindh government to ensure “foolproof security and preparations for peaceful elections”.
Earlier in the morning, the Sindh government had pitched its request to the ECP, seeking to postpone the scheduled elections in Karachi and Hyderabad, claiming that various political leaders and workers were facing threats as per the reports of law enforcement and intelligence agencies.
Earlier, on Friday, the Sindh government announced that the long-awaited LG elections would not be held, and the earlier notification to hold the polls based on the existing delimitation had been withdrawn on the demand of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan.
However, later in the day, the ECP rejected the Sindh government’s plea and ruled that the polls — which had been twice delayed — would be held on January 15, as per schedule.
