ISLAMABAD, Nov 10: In a significant development, the Election Commission of Pakistan decided on Sunday to approach the Supreme Court to seek postponement of local government elections in Sindh and Punjab because there was not adequate time to complete groundwork and lack of preparations by the provinces.

The decision was taken at an emergency meeting held to review arrangements for the elections scheduled to be held in Sindh on Nov 27 and in Punjab on Dec 7.

A senior ECP official told reporters after the meeting presided over by Acting Chief Election Commissioner Justice Tassadug Hussain Jilani that a formal request would be submitted to the apex court on Monday to give adequate time to the commission as well as the provinces to make arrangements for the polls.

The meeting was attended by all four members of the commission, ECP Secretary Ishtiak Ahmed Khan and senior officials. Sources in the ECP told Dawn that the meeting had reviewed poll arrangements and discussed the situation in the light of a unanimous resolution adopted by the National Assembly criticising the schedule issued in haste and a petition filed by the Sindh government inthe Supreme Court`s Karachi registry seeking postponement of the elections.

The resolution said all political parties agreed that holding elections without adequate preparations would raise questions about their transparency.

The sources said the ECP meeting had found some legal and technical lacunas in the ordinance recently promulgated by the Punjab government following the Lahore High Court`s decision that the elections should be held on party basis.

The meeting was informed that the provinces had not yet issued notifications about delimitation of constituencies, causing confusion among voters and candidates.

The ECP has already announced election schedules for Punjab and Sindh in line with the SC directive.

According to it, candidates will start receiving nomination papers from Monday.

The sources said the ECP had so far failed to send nomination papers to all areas, specially the remote places in Sindh and Punjab.

The commission notified election officials for Sindh and Punjab at the eleventh hour, causing confusion among candidates who still had no idea about the appointment of district returning officers, returning officers and assistant returning officers.

Since the Supreme Court has directed that the elections should held on the dates announced by the provinces, the ECP has neither been able to complete the groundwork nor even publish handbooks containing guidelines for presiding officers and polling agents.

An ECP official said the nomination form was available at the commission`s website but because of lack of internet facility in remote areas many intending candidates would not be able to download it. He said it would not be possible for the commission to meet the challenge of printing about 500 million ballot papers and procuringat least 2.2 million magnetised inkpads within the given time.

The federal government has already expressed its inability to get the ballot papers printed by stateowned presses in the prescribed time and the National Assembly resolution has rejected the proposed involvement of the private sector in the process.

The Pakistan Security Printing Corporation says it cannot print the large number of ballot papers in the given time because it is printing currency notes, postal stamps and passports.

Transfers, postings The ECP meeting also took notice of media reports that the government had decided to change the Sindh chief secretary and the managingdirector of the Printing Corporation.

The commission`s additional secretary has written a letter to the establishment division secretary, informing him that under the law, transfers and postings in the provinces cannot be made after the announcement of the election schedule.

`The acting Chief Election Commissioner has expressed serious concern over the above-referred postings and transfers and has directed that the notification about these be immediately suspended. He has also directed that an explanation as to why these postings and transfers have been made in violation of the aforesaid directive be sent to the commission, along with a list of officers whose transfers and postings have been made over the past 48 hours,` the letter said.