The wait is over. Elected representatives of Karachi and Hyderabad will finally be able to regain control of their cities and towns in local government elections after more than six years. They will lock horns in the LG elections next week.

“The local government will be held as per schedule on January 15 in Karachi, Hyderabad, and Thatta,” Chief Election Commissioner Sikander Sultan Raja said while announcing the country’s top electoral authority’s reserved decision on the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM)’s application to conduct LG elections on a new voter list on Monday.

The MQM’s petition stands rejected and the Jamaat-e-Islami’s application has been accepted. The religious party had urged the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to conduct the local bodies elections on January 15 “at all costs”.

Both parties had moved the commission after the latter announced on November 22 that the LG elections in Karachi and Hyderabad would be held on Jan 15.

The last local bodies elections in the three cities were held in two phases, which started in December 2015 and culminated in August 2016. The Sindh-ruling Pakistan Peoples Party had won the LG elections in most districts of Sindh and grabbed the top slot of two – South and Malir – district municipal corporations out of the six in Karachi. The remaining four slots were bagged by the MQM

The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf had managed to win the elections for vice chairmen of Karachi’s South and West DMCs after making alliances with the PPP and MQM, respectively.

“The elections will be held under the old voter lists,” Raja said and ordered the chief secretary and law enforcement agencies to ensure that the LG elections are held. It also directed the Sindh government to ensure all the arrangements.

Security plan

Below are the details of the security plan:

• Polling stations: 4,995
• Security personnel: More than 37,000
• All polling stations have been declared sensitive
• Monitoring of polling will be held via CCTV
• Rangers will perform duties as Quick Response Force
• Immediate action will be taken against people who spread violence

MQM-P’s reaction

The MQM-P rejected on Monday the ECP decision regarding the local body elections in Karachi.

An MQM-P spokesperson said that the ECP had failed to administer justice while pointing out that ‘fake delimitation’ would deprive a quarter of the population of urban Sindh of real representation.

The spokesperson said that they would take their case to the court of public opinion if they don’t get justice from the relevant fora.

“It has become that the Election Commission cannot stop rigging before the elections,” the spokesperson said, adding that questions remain regarding the ECP’s transparency.

What opposition has to say

PTI leader Khurrum Sher Zaman hailed the decision. The Imran-led party has been accusing the Sindh government of delaying the polls.

“The decision is in the favour of Karachi,” he said as he joined Aaj News to speak on the development. “Our preparation is complete. The [defeat] on January 15 will be the last nail in the coffins of two political parties.”

JI’s Hafiz Naeemur Rehman claimed that the LG elections could have been delayed if his party had not intervened. Without naming anyone, he alleged that there would be rigging.

“Now the MQM should not run away [from elections] and face the situation. They could have changed the voter list,” Rehman said. “Everyone should accept this decision.”

He demanded that army and rangers personnel should perform duties at all polling stations. “The people of Karachi should not sit at home now and come out to vote.”

Another PTI leader Ali Zaidi had similar views like Rehman. “According to credible sources, elections will be rigged on January 15. A khoony election is going to be held in Sindh,” he said.

The PTI leader claimed that he has written a letter to the ECP to declare every polling station “sensitive” in Karachi and Hyderabad.