Second phase of Sindh LG polls won't be put off: CEC.

ISLAMABAD -- Chief Election ComAmissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja on Friday made it clear that the forthcoming second phase of local government (LG) elections in Sindh would not be put off again and reserved the verdict on an MQM-P's petition.

The MQM-P has challenged the decision of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for prospective use of two separate electoral rolls in the upcoming local government polls simultaneously.

The CEC was heading the three-member bench which took up the MQM-P petition on Friday.

During the course of hearing of the petition, the chief election commissioner told the lawyer representing the MQM-P that he had gone to various forums, but this issue was never raised before.

Verdict reserved in MQM-P's petition

He also asked the lawyer to raise any other issue so that they could be clubbed together.

The CEC also rejected the lawyer's statement on dual electoral rolls and said he was trying to give a wrong impression.

'You think you can get the elections delayed when your arguments are irrelevant so far,' he told the lawyer.

CEC Raja also stressed that the local government elections in Karachi would not be delayed anymore, saying that it was the Election Commission of Pakistan's job to conduct elections.

After multiple delays, the ECP had on Nov 22 finally announced that the second phase of local bodies polls in Karachi and Hyderabad would be held on Jan 15.

Announcing the verdict that it had reserved on Nov 15, the election watchdog asked the Sindh government, the chief secretary, and the provincial police chief to provide the sufficient number of security personnel for election duty at the polling stations, offices of the district returning officers, returning officers, polling staff...