News
Thursday, July 18, 2013
SC seeks schedule for LG polls from provinces, ECP* Court asks government to give a date for holding elections or court will do this
* Newly elected government has failed to bring any positive change
By Hasnaat Malik
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Wednesday sought the local body elections’ schedule from all the provinces and Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) by today (Thursday), saying otherwise it will give a date itself.
Hearing the case of Balochistan law and order situation, a three-member bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry observed that unless the local government elections are held in Balochistan the provincial administration would not be able to control the violence there. The chief justice noted that in India and other countries the local administrations were able to control the law and order situation due to the local bodies system. The court said that in 2011 it had asked the then government to hold elections for the local governments, but it failed to comply with its order.
The court noted that the newly elected government has taken over but nothing has been done not only in Balochistan but also in the other provinces to fulfil the commands of the constitution. It said that it is necessary to conduct the elections of the local government in order to ensure the participation of the general public in good governance and also to fulfil the command of the constitution. The bench ordered the ECP to inform when it would be in a position to hold local government elections in all the provinces and Islamabad territory, besides cantonment areas, the date of which has already been fixed as September 15.
It said that it would be appreciated if all the provincial governments as well as the ICT and ECP manage to hold such elections within the same period or with a slight change because the elections of local governments are to be held throughout in the country. “We are, prima facie, of the opinion that for want of a network at grass roots level available to the provincial government, it is difficult to establish contact with the citizens living in the far-flung areas, it was need of the hour as well as constitutional commitment in terms of Article 32 and 140-A of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to hold the elections for the local government.”
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk