ECP’s reply sought on Islamabad LG polls

A division bench of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday sought arguments from lawyers and detailed answers from the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on the intra-court appeals (ICAs) about the local body elections in Islamabad. A twojudge bench comprising Chief Justice of IHC Aamer Farooq and Justice Saman Raffat Imtiaz heard the ICAs against the order of single member bench.

At the outset of the hearing, Additional Attorney General Munawar Dogal said that Additional Attorney General Aamer Rehman was busy with other cases while the office of the Attorney General of Pakistan was lying vacant. He prayed the court to adjourn the hearing of the case till the next date. IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq expressed annoyance over the response and said that the court could adjourn the case till 2031 if they wanted.

The ECP had also filed an ICA against the decision of the single-member bench, he said. The chief justice remarked that a legislative bill couldn’t be considered an act until it was approved by the Parliament. Whether the ECP had asked the government why the union councils had been increased from 101 to 125, he asked. The CJ remarked how the population increased suddenly. Should the court wait for the approval of the bill from the house, he asked. The court instructed the ECP to also submit a detailed answer on the matter