LG polls in ICT: Court asks ECP to issue schedule

Poll body says rules were notified on August 20

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the Election Commission of Pakistan to issue schedule of local government (LG) elections in the Islamabad Capital Territory on Friday (today).

Additional Attorney General Amir Rehman, appearing before a three-judge bench, informed the apex court that the rules for LG polls in Islamabad were framed and notified on August 20.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) Director General (Legal), Muhammad Arshad informed the bench, “We will issue the schedule tomorrow (Friday).”

However, he failed to provide a specific polling date.

Arshad said that the matter would be placed before the members of the Election Commission and they would finalise the date.

However, he informed the bench that the commission had started preparation for holding local government polls in the capital, adding 40 days would be required to complete the process of delimitation.

The director general said that the ECP might issue schedule of polls in the federal capital on Saturday.

Chief Justice Jawwad S. Khawaja, who is heading the bench, observed that the judges did not intend to contest the elections. “Why the people are being kept deprived of the [benefits of] the LG system”, he questioned.

The chief justice remarked that the local government system would help resolve everyday problems of the people.

He observed that the idea of people empowerment without an effective LG system would remain a dream.

Justice Dost Muhammad Khan, another member of the bench, observed the local bodies would empower people and help resolve their problems at the local level.

He said that the holding of LG elections in Islamabad would help control “the ‘Big Fish’ that is the Capital Development Authority (CDA).

Before adjourning the case for 40 days, the bench observed that the record of the ECP was not good when it came to the holding of LG polls therefore they were not disposing of the case.

Earlier, on July 8 on the request of the ECP, the court had allowed the commission to issue a revised LG election schedule for Islamabad, which was supposed to be held on July 25.

The holding of election was postponed as the parliament had yet to approve the concerned LG bill.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 28^th, 2015.