PHC stays tehsil nazim, naib nazim election

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court on Monday stayed the election of Nazim and Naib Nazim of Tehsil Council of Warai in Upper Dir district that were to be held today.A two-member bench of Justice Qaiser Rashid Khan and Justice Roohul Amin Khan stopped the holding of the election.

The bench also issued notice to Election Commission of Pakistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Local Government Department and the officials concerned seeking reply from them before the next hearing of the case.

The court stayed the election in a writ petition filed by Mushtaq Ahmad and Hussain Ahmad, the candidates for the post of nazim and naib nazim, respectively. During the hearing, the petitioners’ lawyer, Barrister Waqar submitted that the Election Commission of Pakistan issued a notification on August 11 to announce the schedule for the election that was to be held on August 16.

The lawyer said that it was stated in the ECP notification that the election would be held under the amendment Section of 79 of Local Government Act. However, he said the provincial government on August 10 abolished the amendment from the act under which the election was to be held.

The lawyer said that first the provincial government should extend the August 10, 2016 amendment to the Provincially Administered Tribal Area (Pata) and only then it could hold the election.