Supreme Court orders ECP to fix dates for LG Polls within week

ISLAMABAD: A Supreme Court bench on Thursday ordered the Election Commission of Pakistan to fix dates for local government elections within a week, ARY News reported.

“We are our own enemies, not requiring an external foe, if we fail in compliance of the constitution,” Justice Qazi Faez Isa remarked in the hearing.

The court adjourned further hearing of the case for a week.

“Why the local councils elections not being held, why the people are being deprived of democracy,” Justice Faez Isa earlier questioned. “The supreme court’s order being violated by not holding the local government polls,” the learned justice remarked.

Justice Isa in a reference to the Article 6 of the constitution said those hindering enforcement of the constitution committing an act of high treason.

“It seems the election commission not being guided by the constitution but getting instructions from someone else,” the bench remarked.

Chief Election Commissioner informed the court that the last term of the local councils in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was completed on August 25 in 2019. The province has yet to legislate for the new local government law, the CEC said.

“It is responsibility of the election commission to hold elections but it didn’t fulfill this constitutional responsibility while around two years have passed to the completion of the previous local government term”, the court remarked.