News Desk
ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) served notices to respondents in Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) intra-court appeal regarding Local Governments (LG) polls in the federal capital, on Tuesday.
A two-judge bench comprising Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir and Justice Mohsin Akhter Kayani heard the PTI appeal against the single bench’s decision. The single-member bench had ordered the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to resolve the issue of increasing the number of union councils in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) after hearing the federation.
Taimoor Aslam, the lawyer of the Petitioner Ali Nawaz Awan, told the court that there was another judgment of the IHC related to the matter. Giving reference to the court of Justice Mohsin Akhter Kayani, the lawyer said that the bench had terminated the local body ordinance which had increased the union councils’ number from 50 to 101.
Recently, the government increased the UCs number from 101 to 125 but the election schedule had already been announced and the preparations were completed.
The counsel said that the government had not challenged the decision of ECP dated 20 December, instead, it was challenged by the MCI administrator through the advocate general.
Islamabad High Court inquires
The court inquired whether it could issue directives to the Election Commission if the institution did not conduct elections. Justice Kayani remarked that the previous government was not interested in holding local bodies elections and now the current set-up was following that line.
It added that the government had given undertaking regarding elections on 101 union councils. The lawyer requested the court to stop the Election Commission from giving a decision on the Federation’s appeal and to condition it with the court’s verdict.
The court rejected the petitioner’s request to grant a stay order and adjourned the hearing till Wednesday.
