KARACHI: Sindh High Court (SHC) Friday ordered the provincial government to hold local government elections in Karachi and Hyderabad immediately.

The court also directed the Sindh government and the provincial IG police to make arrangements for providing security during polls. The court also ordered the provincial government to immediately release the poll schedule. In August, the PTI and JI filed petitions in the SHC after the ECP had postponed for the second time the local government elections scheduled to be held in Karachi and Hyderabad divisions on Aug 28.

During its previous hearing on Monday, the SHC reserved its verdict. A two-judge bench of the SHC headed by Chief Justice Ahmed Ali M Sheikh heard the case. During the hearing, Sindh Election Commissioner Ejaz Anwar Chauhan told the court that the ECP was ready to conduct the polls if the government agreed to provide security. When the CJ asked IGP Ghulam Nabi Memon about the provision of police, he stated that they were facing a shortage due to various reasons.