Sindh govt postpones LG polls in Karachi for 90 days.

KARACHI -- Taking advantage of a clause in the controversial Sindh Local Government Act (SLGA) 2013, the Sindh government has itself postponed the local government election in Karachi division for 90 days and communicated it to the Election Commission of Pakistan, it emerged on Friday.

The provincial local government department sent a letter to the Sindh election commissioner stating: 'The cabinet, by way of circulation, approved the proposal to postpone the local government elections 2022 in Karachi division for 90 days.

It said that the postponement was made in terms of second proviso of Section 34 of the SLGA.

The Section 34 (2) reads: 'Government shall, in consultation with the Election Commission, make an announcement of the date or dates on which the election for the Councils shall be conducted in the Province or part thereof.

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'Provided that the date or dates of such election shall not be less that sixty days and not more than hundred and twenty days from the date of such announcements. Provided further that Government may extend or curtail the period mentioned in this section if the circumstances so warrant.'

Although legal experts believed that the provincial government under the said section of the SLGA can only extend or curtail the period, but not empowered to postpone the local government elections.

Senior lawyer Akhtar Hussain said that as per the provisions provided in Section 34 of the SLGA, once date of election was announced, the same must not be less than 60 days and not more than 120 days and thereafter, the government may extend or curtail the period if the circumstances so warrant.

However, he said that the ECP was bound under Article 218 to hold elections and the government had no authority to postpone the elections.

Former advocate general Barrister Zameer Ghumro was also of the view that in the light of the provisions available in SLGA, the government may extend or curtail the time period, but could not postpone the same.

The provincial authorities communicated the 'postponement' to the ECP on the same day when the Sindh High Court had expressed displeasure over authorities concerned...