Unconstitutional: Court issues notice over delay in local govt elections

LAHORE:

Justice Shahzada Mazhar of the Lahore High Court issued notices to the provincial government and the Election Commission of Pakistan on Tuesday on a petition seeking directions to the government to hold local government elections without delay.

Justice Mazhar directed the respondents to file their replies to the court in two weeks.  Advocate Rizwan Gill said that establishment of a local government in the province was a constitutional requirement which the provincial government had violated by not holding local government elections. He said delaying the elections disregarded the true spirit of democracy.  He said the Supreme Court had given a deadline for the polls but the government had failed to comply with the order.  He requested the court to order the government to hold the polls immediately, even if it was on the basis of old delimitations.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 26^th, 2014.