PUNJAB: The Punjab Government said on Thursday that Local Body (LB) elections in the province will be held by December 14 this year, Express News reported.
This was stated during a hearing in the Lahore High Court. The Punjab province had previously given the date of election as December 4.
The Supreme Court had asked all provincial governments to announce the schedule of the local bodies elections and submit it to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) by October 7.
The Supreme Court had earlier sought written explanations from the federal and provincial governments on why the local bodies election had not been held by the deadline of September 15.
The issue of allowing people to contest the LB Elections on a non-party basis has been a source of much debate and a cause of delays to the elections.
The Local Government Bill 2013 gives citizen’s the right to participate in LB Elections.
MPA Sardar Waqas Hassan Moakkal had said, “Participating in the local government elections is the right of every citizen.”
Moakkal said that people must participate in the local government election. “Only then will we be able to implement the LGA in its true spirit,” he said, “As a member of the opposition, I could have scored some points by criticising the Act, but I honestly believe that we should give it a chance.”
PTI Punjab President Ijaz Ahmad Chaudhry had said, “We will not let Punjab government pass this ‘objectionable’ bill, and will resist holding elections on non-party basis.”
