The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday postponed the second phase of local body elections in Sindh, which were scheduled for July 24.
According to a spokesman for the ECP, the elections will now be held on August 28.
Earlier, officials privy to the development had told the media that an ECP meeting, chaired by Chief Election Commissioner Sikander Sultan Raja, had decided to postpone the second phase of the local body polls after it received requests from the MQM-P, GDA, Sindh chief secretary, and the provincial election commissioner.
The ECP spokesperson said that the polls had been postponed due to the rain forecast made by the Met Office.
“This decision is based on a report submitted by provincial election commissioner and the Met Office,” said the spokesperson.
Moreover, the ECP also postponed the NA-245 by-poll, initially scheduled for July 27, for the same reasons. The by-poll will now take place on August 21.
The second phase of the local government polls was to take place in the 16 districts of Karachi and Hyderabad division on July 24.
There are seven districts in the Karachi division – East, West, South, Central, Malir, Korangi and Keamari – and nine districts in the Hyderabad division, which include districts Hyderabad, Tando Mohammad Khan, Matiari, Tando Allahyar, Badin, Dadu, Jamshoro, Thatta and Sujawal.
The NA-245 seat had fallen vacant after the death of PTI MNA Aamir Liaquat Hussain.
