Mayor, his team say it’s enough!

Rawalpindi : While blaming the Punjab government for committing contempt of the court, the elected local bodies representatives headed by Mayor Sardar Naseem Khan Thursday broke the locks of the Metropolitan Corporation Rawalpindi (MCR) office and took over the charge with force.

The sitting government of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) dissolved local governments in the federal capital, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in February this year and despite a detailed judgment on the restoration of local government in Punjab by the Supreme Court two days back, no step has been taken to restore it.

The situation at MCR turned ugly when Mayor Sardar Naseem Khan along with elected representatives of the local body from the treasury and opposition benches reached the office of MCR to take over the charge. However, they were denied entry by the staff of MCR that cited receiving no orders whatsoever from the Punjab government regarding restoration of local government.

But the Mayor and the chairmen from both the treasury and opposition benches broke the locks placed on the door and took over the charge of the office.

Metropolitan Corporation Rawalpindi (MCR) officials on condition of anonymity told ‘The News’ we have not received any directives from the provincial government on handing over the charge to the mayor. The MCR officials also said that they will take legal action against this. Sources privy to ‘The News’ said that Metropolitan Corporation Rawalpindi (MCR) chief officer has filed an application with the City Police Station to register an FIR against Mayor Sardar Naseem Khan and other UC chairmen over this action.

However, Mayor Sardar Naseem Khan said that they had called the meeting last month but the Punjab government did not allow them to hold it in the office of the Mayor. “We informed the Supreme Court and a contempt of court case was filed against the provincial government for not obeying the orders of the apex court,” he claimed.

“I have taken the charge of my office under the directives of Supreme Court of Pakistan. I am not taking law in my hands. It is Punjab government that is violating court orders and they should be charged on contempt of court,” he claimed.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) Union Council Chairman Azhar Satti said that federal and provincial governments should follow Supreme Court decision to immediately issue the notification to restore local body system.

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) elected chairmen also said that the government was bound to issue a notification to restore the local body system in the province. “For reasons to be recorded later, Section 3 of the Punjab Local Government Act 2019 (PLGA) whereby the local bodies were dissolved is declared ultra vires of the Constitution and the local government as were existing in Punjab prior to the promulgation of Section 3 stand restored and it shall complete its term in accordance with the law,” ruled Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed on March 25.