SARGODHA, July 6: The local government department cannot notify a new tehsil till the next LB elections and hence the announcement of Kotmomin as new tehsil after bifurcating Bhalwal is illegal and without any legal sanctity, Bhalwal tehsil Nazim Mian Naseer Ahmed told Dawn.

That was why, he said, the LHC chief justice had suspend the notification (of new tehsil) and summoned the secretary, Local Government, in the third week of the current month.

Mian Naseer said that section 11 of the Punjab Local Government Ordinance, 2001, dealt with the alteration or change of area of zila, tehsil or union council and town and “its provision says that this alteration will be effective after the completion of the term of an election.”

He claimed that he was being victimized as his son, Mian Abdul Qadeer, had contested by-elections of PP-30 (Sargodha III) as a MMA nominee against the government-sponsored candidate.

He said as Kotmomen had been notified as tehsil with malafide intentions, he moved the high court which not only suspended the notification but also allowed him to continue to work as tehsil Nazim, Bhalwal.