KARACHI: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) rejected the decision of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to postpone the local body elections in Sindh as it vowed to contest the decision before the Sindh High Court (SHC) on Thursday.
The second phase of the polls was to originally take place on July 24 in 16 districts of Karachi and Hyderabad: East Karachi; West Karachi; South Karachi; Central Karachi; Malir; Korangi; Kemari; Hyderabad; Tando Mohammad Khan; Matiari; Tando Allahyar; Badin; Dadu; Jamshoro; Thatta; and Sujawal.
The Met Office, in a statement issued on Wednesday, warned that various parts of Sindh, including Karachi, were forecast to experience another spell of heavy rains from July 23-26.
Hours after the agency issued the statement, the commission announced postponement till August 28 of the second phase, with a statement citing the forecast and the upcoming month of Muharram as the reasons behind the delay.
Addressing a gathering in Hyderabad Thursday, Ali Zaidi, president of the party’s Sindh chapter, said the party condemned the decision, adding the commission had made itself controversial.
Former Sindh governor Imran Ismail stated the postponement of elections and the NA-245 poll is a sign of the PPP and MQM-P’s defeat.
He claimed the buyers and sellers of consciences are fleeing Sindh elections by setting up a market in Punjab and that the “thappa” mafia has escaped yet again today.
On the other hand, PTI leader Khurram Sher Zaman stated at a press conference in Karachi that the ECP had failed to conduct transparent elections. He said that the election commissioner should resign, adding that MQM-P and PPP had rigged the election ahead of time.
