PHC moved against suspension of LG reps

PESHAWAR: A tehsil mayor from Nowshera on Friday moved the Peshawar High Court (PHC) against the decision of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) suspending the local government functionaries in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Tehsil Nowshera Mayor Ishaq Khattak filed a writ petition in the PHC through his lawyer Nauman Kakakhel to challenge the suspension of the local government system in KP.

The Election Commission of Pakistan and the Provincial Election Commissioner were made respondents in the petition.

The petitioner said the ECP’s decision of suspending the local bodies in the province was illegal and argued that the LG system played a crucial role in a democratic setup.

The petition questioned the logic behind suspension of the local government functionaries on the plea they could influence the election. He argued that if this argument was accepted then the federal government should also be sent packing.

The petitioner said the budget for the local governments had been prepared while planning carried out to execute uplift work, adding that the ECP’s decision had disrupted all the procedure.

He requested the court to set aside the decision of the ECP and restore the local government functionaries so that they could continue serving the people, who had given them the mandate.

The petitioner termed the ECP’s decision a violation of the constitution and requested the PHC to order the electoral body to conduct the elections in a transparent manner, which was its constitutional obligation.