PTI moves court against LG bill amendment

The leader of the Opposition in Sindh Assembly Haleem Adil Sheikh and President PTI Karachi MPA Khurram Sher Zaman filed a constitutional petition in the SHC on Friday, praying the court declare the amendment bill as void.

It asked that the respondents be restrained from the enactment and promulgation of the bill as an act.

Sindh chief secretary, provincial secretaries of local government and law departments, speaker, secretary Sindh Assembly and chief election commissioner have been nominated as respondents in the petition.

Petitioners have argued that said bill was in violation of Articles 7, 8, 17, 32 and 140-A of the Constitution and against the fundamental rights of citizens who were already hard pressed. The petition said locals might face further hardship towards their livelihood due to the proposed law.

The bill not only usurped the authority of LG bodies regarding health, education, issuance of various certificates, control of lands owned by municipal bodies, removal of encroachments and other fundamental functions but also introduced dubious amendments opening avenues for selection of unelected person as mayor or chairman and horse trading, the petitioner further argued.

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The amendment will also enable a person who could not win even a union council to become mayor or chairman, he said adding that the amendment was introduced to make a way for rejected people because PPP was aware that people are going to reject them in upcoming elections.

Haleem Adil Sheikh also criticised Commission for Regularisation of Construction Ordinance and termed it a conspiracy for legitimising encroachment over 3.9 million acres of state land in Sindh. He said that the move was aimed at prolonging their corrupt systems and cleansing wrongdoings of 14 years.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 4th, 2021.