Sindh

SHC seeks record of SC decision to dismiss govt’s plea against local bodies elections

Another petitioner has gone to court seeking elections.

Our Correspondent May 18, 2013

Former district nazim Dr Rahila Magsi had challenged the inaction on the part of the govt in holding local government elections in 2010. PHOTO: FILE

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) directed on Friday a petitioner seeking local bodies elections to place on record an order passed by the apex court regarding the matter.

Chief Justice Mushir Alam, while heading the bench, passed this direction while hearing two identical petitions which wanted the provincial government to hold local bodies elections. Rana Faizul Hasan, United Human Rights Commission of Pakistan’s general secretary, said local governments had been dissolved but elections had not been held since two years.

He pleaded the high court to direct officials, including the provincial chief secretary, to hold elections under the Local Governments Ordinance 1979 and Sindh Local Governments Ordinance 2001.

The judges noted that another bench of the high court had heard a similar petition.

Former district nazim Dr Rahila Magsi had challenged the inaction on the part of provincial government in holding local government elections in 2010. Back then, the high court had ordered for the elections to be conducted within 90 days under the Articles 32 and 140-A of the constitution.

Through this order passed on May 18, 2012, the court had also directed the election commission to compile electoral lists to enable the government to hold the polls within the stipulated time.

While hearing the latest petition, the judges said the controversy already stands decided by the decision given on the petition filed by Dr Magsi. “Order passed in the above noted constitutional petition shall also apply in this petition as well,” said the judges.

But the provincial law officer Miran Muhammad Shah pointed out that the provincial government had challenged this order in the Supreme Court. Hasan, however, told the high court that the apex court had dismissed the government’s plea.

Adjourning the hearing, the bench directed the petitioner to place on record the order, if any, passed by the apex court in this regard by the next date.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 18^th, 2013.