NNI

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah said Sunday that the provincial government had requested the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to hold local government polls in Sindh in February or March 2022.

Talking to the media in Larkana, the chief minister said that Sindh government was ready to hold LG polls in Sindh and had urged the election commission to local bodies elections next year in March.

“PPP will win LG polls and will also form next government in Centre,” the chief minister claimed.

Speaking about Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) tomorrow’s public meeting in connection with the 14th death anniversary of former prime minister Shaheed Benazir Bhutto, Murad said that former president Asif Zardari will not attend Monday’s public gathering at Gari Khuda Bux.

He also slammed ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) over rising inflation in the country. “If the present government stayed in power, the country would go bankrupt,” the chief minister claimed.

Earlier, it emerged that local government elections are likely to be delayed in Sindh as the authorities could not carry out delimitation of constituencies for the local body polls.

It is worth mentioning here that the Sindh Local Government (Amendment) Bill, 2021, passed last month, is yet to be formally implemented.

The bill has received widespread criticism from the opposition parties and Governor Imran Ismail had decided not to sign the local government (LG) amendment bill once again following the political parties’ reservations.

The Sindh Assembly on November 26 unanimously passed Sindh Local Government (Amendment) Bill, 2021. Sindh Minister for Local Government Syed Nasir Hussian Shah presented the bill in the provincial assembly.

The story was originally published in Business Recorder on December 27 2021.