LG reps move PHC for 3-year extension in term

PESHAWAR: City mayors and tehsil chairmen in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Thursday filed a petition at the Peshawar High Court to seek an extension in their term for another three years through an amendment in the law and financial and administrative powers granted under the law.

The petition was filed through Babar Khan Yousafzai on behalf of Local Council Association president Himayatullah Mayar and 29 other elected local government representatives. The petition sought an amendment to Section 79 of the Local Government Act to extend their term by another three years.

The petition read that they were elected three years ago in the local government elections. However, during this period, they were deprived of funds and were not given administrative and financial powers.

Provincial government, secretary Local Government and secretary Law have been made respondents.

The petition contends that they were mayors and tehsil chairmen of various cities in KP after being elected directly by the people through local government elections. The provincial government had promised to grant them powers and funds under the Local Government Act.

However, their powers and funds were later taken away through various means, and most of their tenure was spent fighting for their rights in the courts.

As a result, they could neither meet public expectations nor carry out any developmental work because the provincial government did not release funds to them. It pleaded that an amendment in the law could extend their three-year term to another three years tenure, but such an extension required a legal amendment.

The petition claimed that the KP government had repeatedly violated provisions of the Local Government Act.

Although they sought relief from courts, the provincial government did not honour its commitments regarding the fair distribution of powers and funds during local government elections. Many tehsil chairmen and city mayors have still not received any funds from the government and have been managing their affairs using their own resources, the petition read.