Summary Supreme Court issued order on Election Commission's second plea.
ISLAMABAD (Web Desk) - Supreme Court has accepted the new schedule for local bodies polls proposed by the Election Commission of Pakistan.
A three-member bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry heard the petition in this regard today (Wednesday).
In a letter forwarded to SC Registrar, the Election Commission had suggested that local government elections in Punjab should be held on January 30, 2014, Sindh 18 January and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in February.
The commission also proposed that elections in cantonment boards of all the provinces should be held in February. However, polls would be conducted in Balochistan as per schedule on December 7.
Later, the apex court directed the Election Commission and provincial governments to decide the dates for the local bodies’ elections through mutual consultations.
Meanwhile‚ the Election Commission says it has cancelled the previous schedule for local bodies’ polls in Sindh and Punjab.
Earlier Wednesday, in an application to the apex court, ECP Additional Secretary Sher Afghan had suggested to the court that 18 Jan 2014 and Jan 30 be fixed respectively for Sindh and Punjab local body elections.
He proposed that any date in Feb could be fixed for elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and cantonment boards, whereas the date of Dec 7 should remain unchanged.
A three-member bench later took up the petition for hearing and accepted ECP’s request for delay in Local Bodies polls.
The court allowed the ECP to announce a schedule for the election as per its proposal. After which, the ECP is now likely to formally announce a new schedule for all four provinces.
According to the schedule proposed by the Election Commission‚ the local bodies polls in Punjab could be held on January 30 next year‚ and in Sindh on January 18.
The Election Commission‚ in its letter‚ further stated that the polls in Balochistan are being arranged on December 7.
