ISLAMABAD (National Times) – The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has decided to postpone Local Government (LG) elections in Karachi.

A meeting of Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), chaired by the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja, postponed the polls due to non-availability of police personnel.

Earlier Sindh government, in a letter to the provincial election commissioner, requested to postpone elections for three months as security forces are engaged in relief for the flood-stricken people, adding that the province might not be in a position to provide adequate security required for holding the second phase of the local body elections in the Karachi division.

According to the letter, while demanding that elections in Karachi division be held in two phases, the Sindh government stated that security forces cannot be removed from these affected areas for election duty.

The letter further stated that in the first phase, elections should be held in the three districts of Karachi, while in the second phase, elections should be held in the four districts.