LG elections: KP government challenges PHC order in SC

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-led Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has challenged the Peshawar High Court’s (PHC) Nov 2 verdict that called for the forthcoming local government (LG) polls to be held on party basis in the Supreme Court.

A three-judge bench of the apex court, headed by Justice Umar Ata Bandia, will take up an appeal moved by the provincial government on November 25.

The appeal states that the provincial government introduced the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Local Government Act, which includes a provision envisaging the holding of the local bodies elections for village and neighborhood councils on non-party basis.

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The high court struck down the provision, it states, arguing that the PHC order created ambiguity about the law. The top court has been pleaded to set aside the high court’s Nov 2 verdict.

On Nov 2, the Peshawar High Court (PHC) declared holding the local government election on a non-party basis as unconstitutional. A bench of the high court announced its brief verdict over various identical petitions on Khyber Pakhtunkhwa local government elections.

The court ordered the election commission to hold the village and neighborhood councils elections on the party basis and take necessary steps for party based polls.

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The petitions filed by Ikram Khan, Enayatullah, Khushdil Khan, Mushtaq Ahmed and Himayatullah had challenged holding LG polls on a non-party basis for village and neighborhood councils. The PHC partially approved the petitions.