PHC decision on LB polls challenged in SC

K-P government requests the top court to declare it void ab initio

ISLAMABAD:

The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) government has filed an appeal in the Supreme Court challenging the Peshawar High Court’s (PHC) decision to hold local bodies’ (LB) polls in the province on party-basis.

A three-judge bench of the apex court led by Justice Umar Ata Bandial will hear the appeal on November 25.

It is relevant to mention that the provincial government of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government had formulated a law to hold the first phase of LB polls in K-P on non-party basis.

The law had been challenged by former K-P chief minister Akram Khan Durrani and other members of the provincial government in the PHC.

The court after completion of hearing of case had declared the provision of non-party basis null and void and ordered the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to hold LB polls in the province on party basis.

The K-P government filed an appeal against the PHC decision maintaining that the verdict had created ambiguity in law and requested the top court to declare it void ab initio.