The Sindh High Court has ordered to hold local government elections in Karachi and Hyderabad immediately, reported 24NewsHD TV channel 

The High Court announced its verdict on Friday, accepting the applications of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and Jamaat-i-Islami.

The MQM requested the court to postpone the LG polls until amendments were made to the Sindh Local Government Act. 

The court 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 in the petitions filed by the PTI and the JI. 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.

He said that around 25,000 policemen had been deployed during 2015 LG polls in Karachi, but now around 45,000 policemen were required for such purpose after incidents of violence were reported during a by-election in Korangi.

A report submitted to the court said that the total number of police in the province was 118,858, out of which 40,157 officials were deputed at Karachi range and over 19,000 in Hyderabad while more than 18,000 personnel were deployed in flood-hit areas and additionally, a total of 33 SSPs, 68 DSPs and 7,305 police personnel were also tasked to perform their duties in the flood-affected areas. Over 45,000 police personnel were required for the LG elections, it added.

Reporter Bilal Ahmad