LG polls, finally.

IF all goes according to plan, and no more spanners are thrown in the works, the second phase of Sindh's long-delayed local government polls will be held next Sunday. The first phase was held in June of last year, but the second leg - to be conducted in Karachi and Hyderabad - has been delayed multiple times. While the initial delay was justified due to the unprecedented summer floods, subsequent postponements at the instigation of the Sindh government appeared suspicious, as if the ruling party in the province was trying to indefinitely delay this crucial democratic exercise. The fact is that the PPP-led Sindh administration is not alone in not wanting to hold LG polls, for the PTI and PML-N have shown similar disinterest in having an elected third tier in Punjab and Islamabad, respectively. But this time it appears that the LG polls will be held on schedule, as the chief election commissioner said on Friday that the elections in Sindh will not be delayed. The CEC was responding to a petition of the MQM-P, which is also pushing for a postponement for various reasons, including questions over electoral rolls and delimitation. However, in the view of the CEC, the MQM-P's reservations were 'irrelevant' and he instructed the Sindh government to arrange the security and logistics to ensure the polls are held on...