Pukhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party Condemns Postponement of Quetta Local Elections Despite Printed Ballot Papers

**Quetta (Qudrat Daily):** The Pukhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) has expressed deep regret and concern over the postponement of Quetta’s local government elections despite the completion and arrival of printed ballot papers in the city.

In a press release issued by the party’s central secretariat, PkMAP stated that after 13 years, the announcement of local government elections in Quetta was accepted despite technical flaws and administrative shortcomings. However, the party termed the court’s decision to postpone the polls just four days before the scheduled date as unfortunate and disappointing.

The statement said that the people of Quetta and Balochistan are already facing severe hardships, including trade restrictions, lack of employment opportunities, the closure of border trade, and the occupation of natural resources, forests, agricultural land and grazing areas. It added that election candidates, despite poverty and financial difficulties, had spent money on their campaigns, and the postponement has further increased public frustration and hardship.

PkMAP said that for the past 13 years, Quetta has been run without elected local representatives and has instead been subjected to what it described as “historic bureaucratic plunder.” The party alleged that the postponement has once again handed the city back to unchecked bureaucratic control. It further claimed that certain political parties approached the courts to avoid electoral defeat, but were ultimately disgraced by their actions.

The party demanded that the government and local government authorities ensure the fair and equitable formation of union councils and wards. It also urged the Election Commission to announce local government elections at the earliest, free from interference by agencies, so that the residents of Quetta can be relieved from bureaucratic exploitation and regain their right to grassroots representation.