PHC decision to postpone LG polls welcomed
The Hazara Province Movement has welcomed the decision of the Peshawar High Court (PHC) Abbotabad Bench to postpone the next phase of local body elections in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) province.
The Hazara Province Movement has vowed to field candidates from every district and village council of the Hazara Division, including Battagram, Allai, and Torghar.
Hazara Province Movement Central Organiser Raja Kamran Khan said that in light of the decision, they would have more time to prepare for the upcoming local body elections.
“We will continue our practical struggle for the establishment of Hazara Province till our last breath by fulfilling the mission of late Baba Haider Zaman,” he said. The establishment of the province was a long-standing demand of the locals, he said, adding that the people of Hazara have always been treated unfairly.
Khan criticised the local politicians, alleging that they were not sincere to the people of Hazara. He urged the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) to take all necessary legal steps for the establishment of the province.
On Friday, Peshawar High Court Abbottabad bench postponed the second phase of local bodies election in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa scheduled on March 27 and directed the Election Commission to hold it after Ramadan keeping in view of the harsh weather forecast next month.
The court also suspended the ECP notification dated January 20, 2022 regarding holding the second phase of the local government elections in 18 districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on March 27, 2022.
The bench headed by Justice Shakeel Ahmad passed the order after hearing a petition filed by citizens seeking postponement of second phase of local bodies election citing possible snowfall and harsh weather conditions in various districts of Hazara and Malakand divisions next month.
Petitioners Malik Aurangzeb and Muhammad Iqbal argued that voters would be deprived to poll their votes due to snow and inclement weather condition in March.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 6th, 2022.