The Sindh government has declared a public holiday on September 24 in 14 districts of the province to facilitate voters during upcoming by-elections, according to a notification issued on Monday. The Sindh education department has also issued instructions to the district education officers and the Directorate of Private Schools in this regard.
The letter, sent to the departments concerned, said polling stations would be set up in schools located in the relevant constituencies. Authorities also directed the district education officials and the private schools directorate to extend full cooperation in the arrangements.
The districts where the holiday will be observed include Ghotki, Sukkur, Khairpur, Mirpurkhas, Umerkot, Matiari, Hyderabad, Jamshoro, Dadu, Badin, Thatta, Karachi East, Karachi West and Keamari. Authorities said the decision was aimed at enabling citizens to cast their votes without difficulty.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has taken notice of reports that government employees may boycott election duties during the local government by-polls. According to a letter from the Sindh Joint Election Commissioner to the provincial chief secretary, the commission cited social media reports suggesting some staff had threatened to refuse election assignments.
“A boycott by government employees could affect the electoral process,” the letter warned. It directed the district administrations to take immediate steps to ensure the availability of assigned polling personnel. The commission has mentioned that most of the polling staff are from the education department.
Earlier, the ECP had announced that by-elections would be held the same day for 52 vacant local government seats across Sindh, including several in Karachi. Officials said arrangements were being finalised to ensure smooth polling in all districts where seats have become vacant.
A total of 23 candidates will contest the upcoming by-elections in Hyderabad, while Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) nominees have already secured seven seats unopposed. Three seats remain vacant as no eligible candidates came forward.
