HDP Condemns Postponement of Quetta Local Elections, Calls It Unconstitutional

**Quetta (Qudrat Daily):** The Hazara Democratic Party (HDP) has strongly criticized the postponement of local government elections in Quetta, terming the decision unconstitutional and unjustified despite the completion of all electoral preparations.

In a central statement, the HDP expressed regret that after a month of continuous political activity by all parties, with full preparations completed and more than 100 candidates elected unopposed, the elections were postponed just three days before polling. The party said there was no valid justification for delaying the polls at such a late stage, especially when the citizens of Quetta have been deprived of local government representation for the past ten years.

The statement said that denying the public their right to representation despite the Election Commission’s complete preparedness amounts to an unconstitutional act. It alleged that certain “Form-47 parties,” lacking public support and seriousness, created obstacles in the political and democratic process and played an anti-people role.

The Hazara Democratic Party reaffirmed its commitment to continue its struggle for the public’s right to governance and announced that, in coordination with other political parties, it would approach the Supreme Court to challenge the postponement.

The HDP further questioned the rationale behind holding local government elections in Quetta under the 2023 census when local polls across the rest of Balochistan were conducted on the basis of the 2017 census, calling the decision discriminatory and unjust.