SC summons Punjab's reply on premature dissolution of local councils

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Monday summoned reply from Punjab government over premature dissolution of local governments in the province, ARY News reported.

The apex court in a written order over the proceedings of the local government election case on Jan 28,  ordered the provincial authorities to submit reply over the matter by February 04.

A bench of the apex court also issued notices to the governments of Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan over their failure to hold local councils polls.

Khyper Pakhtunkhwa and the federal government have already been issued notices, according to the court ruling.

“The chief election commissioner said that in Punjab local councils were dissolved before the end of their term and he also declared it an unlawful act,” according to the court order.

The supreme court ordered the election commission to submit deliberations of its session with regard to the local government elections.

The court also ordered the ECP and KP government to submit the progress report over the matter in court.

“The court had in its ruling on Nov. 8 had ruled that the process of depriving the people from democracy should now come to an end,” the bench said in its written order.

“In a previous order it had also declared that the election commissioner, chief minister KP and the cabinet were contravening the command of the constitution.”

“Every constitutional official takes oath for the implementation of the constitution and the law,” the court observed.

The bench will further hear the case on Feb 04 (Thursday).