Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry. PHOTO: ONLINE
Chief Justice Chaudhry made this statement while hearing a case regarding the worsening law and order situation in Balochistan.
The court had earlier issued notices to the provincial governments to submit a statement today telling the date on which the LB elections would be held. However, the governments failed to give an exact date.
The chief justice, today, remarked that any date beyond September will not be acceptable.
He further said that the governments seem to delay the elections till 2014.
The bench had underlined that the LB polls are important in maintaining a contact between people and the government.
COMMENTS (15)
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@Kaleem: Read todays,stickers runing in all tv channel....Rana Sanaullah has said it can be held only in Dec 13.,.
@Kaleem KPK Govt. earlier announced of holding LB Elections in November, even before Punjab perhaps!
We don't want LOCAL BODIES irrelevant system but rather DYNAMIC LOCAL GOVT system
What if the provinces decide not to hold the local body elections? What will the judge do? Who told the judge that the law and order will improve after these elections are held? The judicial nose is in all the wrong places.
Why is the Cheif Justice linking the local body elections with the law and order situation. It appears that the judge knows something we don't.. May be the terrorists told him to hold local body elections and they will stop acts of terrorism. People will stop disappearing because those responsible will be elected. He should share his secrets with the public.
I don't know why people write against the Chief Justice of Pakistan when his actions are for the welfare of the masses and institutions of the country.
It is NOT in the interest of the Provincial Governments to hold Local Bodies Elections as their Ministers become powerless and cannot extort money from the masses.
I am in favour of holding Local Bodies Elections as soon as possible as this will break the beaurautic channels as well as a common man does not need to run here and there to get his job done.
Local Bodies is the first step to strengthen the domocracy in the country.
Those who want to see democracy flourishing in the country must think twice that Local Bodies are essential for the welfare of the masses.
I would like to go one step further in saying that if the Provincial Governments do not hold Local Bodies Elections, which is the responsibility of the each respective Chief Minister of the Province, the Chief Minister of that particular province should be sacked by the Supreme Court of Pakistan.
@haroon: PTI did not support the LB ordinance in Sindh when it was passed in the last government AND their reasons were not logical. They did not want to support it because otherwise MQM would have become popular given its previous local body performance.
A sane and significant instruction from SC, more significant for Karachi than any other part of Pakistan. It is time SC also opines on the newly formulated LG law worked out between mqm and ppp but later withdrawn by the latter. The implementation of this law or the musharraf period local government law hold the most potent revipe to resolving most of Karachi's ills.
Whether you like MQM or not, it is absolutely clear that no other party other than the MQM has been more vocal and consistent about the need to have local government and local body elections. And whatever else their wrongs may be, MQM has shown great performace when it comes to managing local bodies and delivering self-governance. Mustafa Kamal's local government between 2005-2008 (practically) is a shining example. Its just that other Sindh parties remain afraid that if Karachi gets local government again, MQM is once more going to outshine other parties in performance and regain its popularity.
@haroon, wake up and step out of your prejudiced mind and then speak. MQM has been advocating LG| since last 5 years and PTI never supported it and instead chose to remain quite, and latter even opposed the local govt ordinance introduced in Sind, because all PTI cares is that their PR remains intact and they keep opposing all the other parties, PTI DOES NOT have any consideration for the people of Pakistan. They just want development if they are the ones to initiate it, otherwise no.
PTI has declared to arrange LB election in November. and the it is part and parcel of PTI agenda to held local body election.
Very little chance of this happening. Even those parties raising their voices for decades advocating provincial autonomy from the Federal Government are reluctant to support local bodies elections. Take for example Balochistan. Hypothetically, if the nationalist parties in Balochistan assume power, they will not hold local bodies elections because they would not want the Hazaras in Quetta or the Pashtuns to gain self-governance or run their own affairs in their own areas. Similarly People's Party in Sindh will never agree to local bodies' elections because they do not want Karachi's people to self govern because they are not Sindhi speaking. Same thing happened in 1970 when Awami League gained the majority in the country but the Bengalis were not given the power. However, the same political parties that will not allow local bodies elections in their own provinces will support and demand right of self-determination and governance in Indian occupied Kashmir. Fact is that democratic values, concept of justice and fair play is just missing from the psyche of the people.
@haroon: Only Punjab has declared that these will be held in Oct/Nov, other provinces have not given any date, even not KPK. On sidenote, CJ should refrain from acting as governor.
Things are moving in other way round. Responibilites of each institution must be clearly defined as per constitution. And one Institution must not indulge in all situations in chaotic matter.
LB is an integral part of any form of government and is mandatory in our constitution. Only PTI lays emphasis on Local Body elections whereas all other parties ignore this issue for personal agendas.