LHC summons Punjab LG Secretary in local bodies case

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) summoned the secretary local government Punjab while hearing petitions of local government representatives’ for the extension of their tenures, ARY News reported on Wednesday.

A bench of the high court hearing petitions filed by the Mayor Lahore Mubashir Javed and other local government representatives for the extension of their tenure, which was interrupted when the provincial government had dissolved local bodies in May 2019.

The court expressed its disappointment over appearing of the government counsel without preparing for the case. ” Why you are wasting the time of the court,” the bench asked the counsel.

The bench also regretted over absence of the provincial government’s reply in the court file of the case.

The counsel of petitioners argued that the bench has to decide the point, if the restored representatives could complete their tenures or not. He pleaded to the court to allow the petitioners to complete their constitutional tenure.

The counsel also requested for restraining the schedule and holding of the new local councils elections in the province and the tenure of incumbent members to be extended for 24 months.

The local governments in Punjab were restored last March after a two year-long legal battle, when the Supreme Court struck down their dissolution as unlawful.