Schedule to be issued soon: ECP

ISLAMABAD:

Government on Monday informed the apex court that electoral rules and regulations for holding the local government (LG) elections in the federal capital had been finalised.

“Suggestion and objections to these rules will be sought from the general public and within the next 15 days a final notification will be issued,” Additional Attorney General Aamir Rehman told a three-member bench headed by Justice Jawwad S Khawaja.

The three-judge bench was hearing the case regarding the holding of local bodies election in Islamabad Capital Territory.

Rehman said upon conclusion of that process a schedule for LG polls would be issued.

The court was informed that required legislation to hold elections had also been completed as recently President Mamnoon Hussain had signed into law the Islamabad Capital Territory LG Bill 2015.

During the course of hearing, a petitioner, Syed Zafar Ali Shah, said the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had yet to return the fee it had collected at the time of filing of nomination papers from over 3,500 candidates.

“Though the whole process of holding elections on July 25, 2015 was scrapped, the ECP has yet to return the fee,” Shah said, adding that the court should direct the ECP to return the money.

An ECP representative then informed the court that the security fee would be returned to those candidates who would not participate in the election.

The hearing was adjourned till August 27.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 11^th, 2015.