The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) Monday turned down Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan’s (MQM-P) plea, ruling that the local bodies elections in Karachi and Hyderabad will be held on January 15 as per schedule.
The ruling came as the electoral body announced the reserved verdict on MQM-P’s plea seeking the grass-root level elections to be held on the new voter lists. The MQM-P had challenged the decision of the ECP for the prospective use of two separate electoral rolls in the local government polls simultaneously.
A three-member bench of the electoral body, headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, had reserved the verdict on Friday.
The ECP rejected MQM-P’s plea but accepted the petition of Jamat-e-Islami (JI), which had approached the electoral watchdog for holding polls according to the schedule.
Announcing the verdict today, the ECP directed the authorities to ensure that elections are held on time.
During the last hearing, the chief election commissioner told the MQM-P lawyer that he has gone to various forums, however, the issue of electoral rolls was never raised before.
He told the lawyer to raise any other issue so that they can be clubbed.
The CEC further remarked that the lawyer is giving a wrong statement regarding the dual electoral rolls, rejecting his statement.
“You think you can get the elections postponed again? Your arguments are irrelevant so far,” he noted.
CEC Raja also stressed that the local government elections in Karachi will not be delayed, saying that it’s the Election Commission of Pakistan’s job to conduct the polls.
After the verdict, the local body elections in Sindh’s two most populous cities, which were delayed multiple times, will be held on the old voter lists. The Election Commission has also completed all preparations to conduct the electoral process in Karachi and Hyderabad on January 15.