ISLAMABAD – The Islamabad High Court on Tuesday took up a petition challenging the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) notification regarding withdrawal of the schedule for the local government elections in the federal capital.
The court declined to issue an immediate stay order.
During the hearing, the court issued notices to the relevant parties and sought their responses on the matter. It also directed that the petition be heard together with another case of a similar nature.
Justice Muhammad Azam Khan of the IHC was hearing the case filed by Jamaat-e-Islami Islamabad President Nasrullah Randhawa. The petitioner’s counsel argued that the withdrawal of the election schedule followed earlier legal challenges to amendments made to the local government law.
The court was informed that local government elections in Islamabad were last held in 2015 and that the five-year term of the elected bodies has long since expired. Under the law, the counsel contended, fresh local government elections are required to be held within 120 days of the completion of the term.
The petitioner asked the court to declare the ECP’s notification withdrawing the election schedule null and void and to direct the authorities to conduct local government elections. An interim plea was also made to suspend the notification until January 27, when the main case is scheduled for hearing.
The court rejected the request for an immediate restraining order, issued notices to the respondents and sought their replies on the petition.
