ECP notification for LG Polls in Islamabad challenged in IHC

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court on Monday heard a petition of the People’s Party and the PML-N challenging the ECP notification for the local government polls in the Islamabad capital territory, ARY News reported.

Qazi Adil Advocate and Saad Ahmed Rajput appeared before the high court bench comprised of Chief Justice Athar Minallah.

“Where is the ECP notification,” the chief justice asked. “The election commission has issued the notification,” counsel Qazi Adil said and sought time for producing the notification.

The federal government had notified to increase union councils in the capital territory from 50 to 101 in proportion with 20,000 voters in a UC but the ECP notified the election schedule without increasing the number of the union councils, the counsel pleaded to the court.

“The election commission is bound to increase the number of union councils before the local councils election,” the counsel argued. He pleaded to the court to declare the ECP notification as void and restrain the local government election without increase in the union councils.

The bench adjourned further hearing of the case till tomorrow (Tuesday).

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) announced the schedule for local councils polls in the capital territory of Islamabad on June 02.

According to a statement issued by the ECP, the LG polls in Islamabad would be held on July 31, 2022. The date for submission of nominations would be from June 13 to 16, he added.

Earlier in May, the Islamabad High Court had ordered to postpone the LG polls in Islamabad. The federal cabinet had presented its summary to the court pleading that the government has decided to form 101 union councils in the city and that the ECP should be asked to implement it.