SC stays elections for mayors, deputy mayors in Sindh

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday issued a stay order on elections for mayors and deputy mayors across Sindh, including Karachi, scheduled to be held on February 20.

A three-member bench of the apex court, headed by Justice Gulzar Ahmed, heard the Sindh government appeal, challenging the verdict of the Sindh High Court (SHC) declaring an amendment to the local government law as void.

The court ordered the maintainance of the status quo on the elections and directed the SHC to announce the detailed verdict in the matter.The PPP-led government in Sindh, through the Fourth Amendment to the Sindh Local Government Bill 2013, had replaced secret balloting with a show of hands as the procedure to elect mayors, deputy mayors and other local government representatives in the province.

The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F), however, through identical petitions had challenged in the SHC the provincial government’s Fourth Amendment to the Sindh Local Government Bill 2013.

Last week, the SHC, while hearing the petitions of MQM and PML-F, declared the amendment to the local government law as void.Meanwhile, the Sindh government filed an appeal in the Supreme Court, challenging the SHC verdict.

During the hearing, Justice Gulzar Ahmed remarked that the court wanted to hear the matter in detail.Farooq H Naek, counsel for the Sindh government, pleaded before the court to suspend the SHC decision before it announced its detailed verdict.Barrister Farogh Nasim, counsel for the MQM, however, opposed the plea of Farooq H Naek. The court adjourned the hearing till March 30.