Centre, province fail to explain local election delay

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Friday came hard on counsel for the federal and provincial governments for their failure to explain the delay in holding local elections to the court’s satisfaction.

A deputy attorney general, Tanveer Hashmi, took a plea that the local elections were delayed because an Election Commission had not been formed under the 18th amendment so far. Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed then asked how was the Election Commission holding by-elections at vacant constituencies of the National and the provincial assemblies as well as the Senate.

Hashmi said that the Punjab government had not approached the federal government for holding local election in the province.

An additional advocate general submitted on behalf of the Punjab government that holding elections was the Election Commission’s responsibility.  The judge observed that the disagreement between the federal and provincial governments over who was responsible was causing frustration among people waiting for the local elections.

Unsatisfied with the arguments of both the law officers, the judge directed them to file written submissions by next hearing on August 31.

Justice Saeed is hearing a petition filed by the Local Councils’ Association Pakistan (LCAP) president Anwar Hussain challenging the appointment of administrators and agitating delay in the elections.

The petitioner submitted that the government, through a notification revived, had commissioners at the division level and created a third layer of bureaucracy that undermined the authority of local governments.

He requested the court to declare unconstitutional the impugned amendment and appointments of administrators.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 28^th, 2010.