Daily Times

Granting more time to the Punjab government in petitions filed against the Punjab Local Government Act (PLGA) 2019, the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday issued directives to the province to submit a response by June 24.

Under the new local government system, the village councils and mohalla councils will be elected through non-party elections. However, elections will be held on a party basis at tehsil and municipal level. The previous district and union council system is no longer in effect after the approval of the act.

Challenging the new law, the petitioners sought the court’s directives for the Punjab government to refrain from terminating the existing local government system.

Ahmed Iqbal, son of MNA Ahsan Iqbal, has sought court directives through counsels Umer Gillani and Usama Khawar Ghumman to allow existing local bodies to continue in office until the completion of their tenure. The petitioner also urged the court to issue a temporary injunction restraining the government from appointing bureaucrats as administrators.

On Tuesday, a three-member LHC bench, comprising Justice Mamoon Rashid Shaikh, Justice Jawwad Hassan and Justice Shahid Wahid, heard the case.

Advocates Umer Gillani and Usama Khawar Ghumman urged the court to grant a stay order in the case.

However, the bench stated that the request for the stay order would be decided once the Punjab government filed its reply in the case. Counsel for petitioners, including Umer Gillani, Usama Khawar and Ahsan Bhoon, said that dissolution of elected local governments in mid-tenure was against Article 140-A of the Constitution.

At the outset of the hearing, the bench expressed displeasure over the failure of Punjab government in submitting its reply. Punjab Advocate General Ahmad Jamal Sukhera requested the court for more time.

Sukhera informed the bench that more than 33 petitions had so far been filed against the new law by local government representatives from various districts of the Punjab.

Accepting the plea of the Punjab government, the bench granted more time for filing a reply and adjourned the hearing of the case till June 24.