ISLAMABAD, Aug 15: The Supreme Court on Thursday declined to pass any direction to the government for holding local government elections in the federal capital, saying that the fundamental rights including political rights of citizens had been suspended by the proclamation of emergency.

The court made these observations on a petition filed by the editor of an English daily.

The three-judge bench, comprising Justice Nazim Hussain Siddiqi, Justice Qazi Mohammad Farooq and Justice Mian Mohammad Ajmal, did not dispose of the writ petition and allowed the counsel to submit news clippings on which he wanted to rely.

The court adjourned the case without issuing notice to any of the respondents or fixing the date for next hearing.

The counsel for the petitioner stated that the government had adopted discriminatory attitude towards the Islamabad Capital Territory which was the only place in the country where local government elections had not been held.

He contended that the local government elections were held in the country at a time when the same proclamation of emergency was in force.

He said the dispute between NRB and interior ministry had resulted in denial of fundamental rights to the citizens of Islamabad.

The petitioner stated that the local councils were the first tier of the democratic process as they performed municipal functions. Besides, the local bodies formed the training ground for future political leaders of national stature, he added.

The petitioner also recalled that interior minister Lt-Gen Moeenunddin Haider had announced during the referendum campaign in his capacity as the minister in charge of capital administration that the local government elections would be held in Islamabad before September 2002.

However, no practical steps have been taken so far for holding the elections, the petitioner regretted.