PAT Punjab president Basharat Aziz Jaspal. PHOTO: pat.com.pk
Pakistan Awami Tehreek challenged the Punjab Local Government Ordinance 2015 in Lahore High Court on Tuesday. PAT Punjab president Basharat Aziz Jaspal filed a petition saying that Sections 2, 4 and 8 of the PLGO were repugnant to Article 140-A, 25, and 17 of the Constitution.
He said the sections curtailed rights of voters, especially their right to democratic and efficient governance. He said the ordinance denied political representation to women, labourers, religious minorities and the youth through direct election. This speaks of malafide intent on the government’s part, the petition said. Jaspal added that candidates for reserved seats could end up buying their way to the local government. “Denying direct representation was a negation of Article 25 of the Constitution, which prohibits discrimination.” He asked the court to strike down Sections 2, 4 and 8 of the Ordinance for being ultra vires of the Constitution.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 12th, 2015.
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