Lack of law: Residents challenge LG polls, again

Muhammad Saleem and others have also challenged the process of de-limitation initiated by the ECP

ISLAMABAD:

Five residents of the capital have petitioned the Islamabad High Court (IHC) requesting it to declare the notification of the Ministry of Interior regarding demarcation and declaration of local government in the ICT – a metropolitan corporation and 79 union councils for the entire ICT – as illegal.

Muhammad Saleem and others have also challenged the process of de-limitation initiated by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for local government elections in Islamabad in anticipation of approval of the bill for ICT LG Act, 2015 which is yet to be passed by the Senate.

The petitioners through their counsel Raja Aleem Khan Abbasi said the federal government and the ECP initiated the election process in the ICT for local government elections without any legal and constitutional mandate.

The petition has named the Election Commission of Pakistan, Islamabad Capital Territory Administration and Ministry of Interior as respondents.

The counsel said, “It not only undermined the entire election process but also the faith of residents in democracy at the grassroots-level as well as in the local government elections”.

The matter will be heard by a division bench comprising Justice Noorul Haq Qureshi and Justice Aamer Farooq on Wednesday (today).

Published in The Express Tribune, June 24^th, 2015.