Islamabad LG polls: Intra-court appeal to be filed against IHC order

ISLAMABAD: An intra-court appeal will be filed today against the Islamabad High Court (IHC) order to organise Islamabad local government (LG) polls on December 31, ARY News reported.

The federal government and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) have decided to file an intra-court appeal against the IHC order to hold Islamabad LG polls on Saturday (today).

Sources told ARY News that the election commission will seek 10 to 15 days to complete the preparations for the LG polls through an intra-court appeal.

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The ECP officials also held consultations regarding the intra-court appeal and other legal options to defer the LG polls to complete the preparations, sources added.

The chief election commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja also chaired an emergency session with the senior officers after the high court’s order.

Sources said that the commission did not receive any instruction regarding the LG polls tomorrow. They added that neither logistic support nor staff members are available for conducting the elections.

The majority of the polling staffers from the education centres are unavailable, whereas, the educational institutions are closed during winter vacations.

ECP sources said that the LG polls in the federal capital will not be organised tomorrow and the commission will request the court to give at least eight to 10 days for making arrangements for election material, transport and security measures.

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Sources added that the commission decided to present its stance before the high court today.

IHC ruling

Islamabad high court (IHC) ordered to hold local government (LG) elections in the federal capital on December 31.

The IHC announced the reserved verdict on Islamabad LG polls against the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

The court accepted Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) petitions and order the ECP to hold LG elections in Islamabad on the same date December 31.

Earlier, the high court disposed of the PTI and JI plea challenging the postponement of Islamabad LG polls.

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Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani said the delay in LG polls is a violation basic rights of citizens.

He added that the federal government give development funds to MNAs. The development funds should be used through the local government instead. The previous government also didn’t issue funds to local governments.

It is pertinent to mention here that the federal government had increased the number of union councils (UCs) in Islamabad 10 days before the scheduled polling day for local government elections, surprising candidates as well as the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).