KARACHI/HYDERABAD: Thousands of people have already cast their vote in the long-awaited second phase of local government elections in 16 districts of Sindh, including Karachi, underscoring unprecedented enthusiasm in the race that could lead to record-shattering turnout.
Polling began at 8:00 am and will continue till 5:00 pm, according to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
The tribunal has announced that over eight million voters are expected to head to the polls to elect their local representatives. A total of 17,863 candidates are running for the offices of chairman and vice-chairman of the union committee and general members.
To ensure the safety and security of the election, 8,876 polling stations have been set up, including 4,997 in Karachi and 3,879 in Hyderabad divisions, all equipped with surveillance cameras.
کرانی، حیدر آباد اور دادو کے غیور شہری آج امن ترقی اور خوشحالی کیلئے #بلے_پہ_ٹھپہ لگائیں گے، انشاللہٰ سندہ بلدیاتی انتخابات کے اس دوسرے مرحلے میں شاندار جیت تحریک انصاف کی کامیابیوں میں ایک اور آضافہ ہو گی، دھشت گردی ، لسانیت اور نفرت کی سیاست کے خلاف تحریک انصاف ہی کھڑی ہے
— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) January 15, 2023
Strict security measures have been put in place to ensure a smooth and fair election.
The commission has designated 8,153 polling stations as “sensitive” or “highly sensitive”. This includes 3,415 polling stations in Karachi classified as “sensitive,” 1,496 as “highly sensitive,” and 79 as “normal.”
In the Hyderabad division, 1,270 polling stations are “sensitive,” 779 are “highly sensitive,” and 625 are “normal.” A total of 830 candidates have been elected unopposed in 16 districts across two divisions.
In Karachi, 2,166 candidates are competing for chairman and vice chairman positions, and 6,892 candidates are running for Ward Member.
Additionally, 9,078 candidates will be vying for positions in the second phase of elections in nine districts of the Hyderabad division, where 3,451,320 citizens are eligible to vote.
If you are in Karachi or have family and friends in Karachi, please consider asking them to ensure voting early tomorrow for Local Body Elections!
It would be awesome to have a mayor from PTI for Karachi. #کراچی_کپتان_کا @AliHZaidiPTI pic.twitter.com/3wKILvqfzc
— Jibran Ilyas (@agentjay2009) January 14, 2023
The vote comes a day after the commission announced that the elections in Karachi and Hyderabad will proceed as scheduled, despite calls from the Sindh government to postpone it due to unspecified security concerns for political leaders.
The province had on Saturday once again requested a delay in the elections, citing unspecified “threats to various political leaders and workers of political parties” as warned by law enforcement and intelligence agencies.
However, responding to the request, the tribunal directed the provincial government of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) to take necessary measures to ensure peaceful and secure elections.
Furious, the MQM-P announced it would boycott the vote after its repeated requests for changes in the delimitation of constituencies were turned down by the electoral watchdog.
‘GERRYMANDERING’
The ECP had initially announced that the long-awaited elections would not be held and the notification to hold the polls based on the existing delimitation had also been withdrawn on the demand of its Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) coalition partner, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P).
However, the commission Friday rejected the government’s request and ruled the polls would be held on January 15 as scheduled.
Another upset for the MQM alliance in Karachi. Altaf bhai boycotted the elections. pic.twitter.com/ZcmDtMVpc1
— Ihtisham Ul Haq (@iihtishamm) January 12, 2023
Following the ECP statement, Rana Sanaullah Khan, the minister for interior, expressed concern over the “worrying situation” resulting from the differences between component parties of the ruling Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) coalition over the vote.
He said two parties — Jamaat-e-Islami and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) — were in the favour of holding them tomorrow while two — MQM-P and PPP — were not, claiming that “a few miscreants could benefit from the volatile political situation” and lead to a violent situation of law and order.
The Sindh government has claimed the tribunal had no authority to reject the provincial government’s decision to postpone the polls.
In a letter to the provincial election commissioner, its local government department highlighted the precarious law and order situation and specific threats to political leaders and workers.
The province has also cited security concerns and the non-availability of the Pakistan Army and civil security agencies for static deployment at polling stations as reasons for the delay.
The term of the local governments expired on August 30 last year and the ECP was bound to hold elections within four months. originally scheduled for July 24, the polls were postponed due to heavy monsoon rains and flooding.
They were later rescheduled for August 28, but were again delayed due to the flood situation and a shortage of police personnel in Karachi.
