Local government: Plea against polls delay to be heard on 16th

LAHORE:

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday accepted a petition for early hearing filed by the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) against delay in the holding of local elections.

Fayyaz Mehr, representing the PTI, said that the Supreme Court (SC) had ordered the government on November 15, 2013, to hold local government elections. “However, the Punjab government is unwilling to take any step to hold the local government elections,” he said. Justice Ejazul Ahsan accepted the request and ordered the registrar to fix the main petition for hearing on October 16.

By-poll petition

The LHC dismissed a petition filed by a candidate for the vacant provincial assembly seat from Sheikhupura.

In his petition, Usman Nisar stated that by-elections were ordered in the constituency after the death of MPA Khurram Gulfam.

“The chief minister, Minister for Defence Production Rana Tanveer and MNA Rana Afzaal are trying to influence the outcome of the elections. The government has approved Rs100 million for the constituency for this purpose as well,” he said. Nisar stated that the government had also managed to get the elections postponed. He requested the court to stop the government from trying to influence the outcome of the election.

The LHC dismissed the petition, telling the petitioner to first move the Election Commission.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 23^rd, 2014.