Owing to what it called insufficient timeframe and inadequate resources to complete process for smooth holding of local body polls, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Monday decided to inform the Supreme Court that conducting local government (LG) polls was not possible this year.
According to details made available by ECP sources, the electoral body has decided to submit a written reply today (Tuesday) with the SC pertaining to the LG polls issue, accusing the provincial governments for complacency in completing delimitations and other process imperative for holding the polls.
A three-member bench of the apex court would today take up the matter of a five-year delay in holding the local government polls by all four provincial government in violation of the constitutional provisions. The local government system is imperative in delivery of rights and curbing lawlessness at grassroots level and resolving of public issues at remote level. However, major political parties of the country have always have resisted local body polls while dictators have held polls to deliver goods at grassroots levels.
During the last hearing of a case regarding delay in holding local body polls, Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry had warned that if the provincial governments and Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) authority failed to hold local government elections after Muharram, it might ask them to hold the elections under the old system.
However, a top office-bearer of the election watchdog said it was difficult for the election body to comply with the court’s orders due to complacency by the provincial governments who looked reluctant to hold the polls.
Only Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, led by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), looks prepared to hold the polls while the governments of Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan appear reluctant. All four provincial governments also did not hold local government elections during their past five-year rule since 2008.
The e Awami National Party (ANP), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples’ Party looked adamant to hold the local body polls.
“At least one month is required to complete delimitation in all four provinces. Moreover, the election schedule would also take another month while at least one month would be needed to give candidates time for canvassing, and another month would be needed for election tribunals to hear the appeals against the ECP decisions. This would mean that elections would only be possible in January or February next year,” the source added.
The sources said a province required 90 days for legislation, delimitation and completion of rules, adding that no province had taken necessary measures to hold LG polls, while the provincial governments had also failed to inform the ECP about their intentions and preparations.
During the last hearing, the apex court had directed the additional attorney general and the advocates general of all the provinces to file replies after which it would examine other options to enforce the constitutional provisions, particularly Article 140-A.
A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, while hearing the local bodies’ elections case, had said it could not allow anyone to make the constitution non-effective. The court asked the counsels to provide the details of old local government polls of their respective provinces.
The chief justice said that the masses at the grass roots level must be allowed to participate in the democratic setup. “This is only be possible if the local government polls are held,” he added.