The Sindh High Court has refused to delay local bodies polls in Sindh as it rejected petitions filed by political parties, particularly the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-P and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, seeking postponement of the elections. A two-member bench, headed by Justice Muhammad Junaid Ghaffar, was hearing the case on Friday.
Following the hearing, MQM-P lawyer Farogh Nasim hinted at challenging the high court’s order in the apex court. He said the response submitted by the Election Commission of Pakistan to the court was not based on solid grounds.
“The electoral rolls have not been completed as of yet but they [ECP] want to hold elections,” he said, adding that the voter lists will be complete by Aug 12 and elections should only be held after their finalisation. PTI lawyer Chaudhry Asif said the Supreme Court, in its order, had asked the government to allocate separate funds to the local bodies and make them autonomous. Justice Ghaffar remarked that the top court had also directed the government to hold elections.
