ISLAMABAD, July 11: The Supreme Court was asked on Monday through a petition to declare the upcoming party-less local government elections as a violation of the constitution. Awami Tehrik Pakistan chairman Maulvi Iqbal Haider has submitted a petition seeking a court declaration that participation in the upcoming local government polls was the fundamental right of every political party.

The federal government, Chief Election Commissioner Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar and all the four chief secretaries have been named respondents..

To hold party-less local government elections, the petitioner said, was “against the fundamental rights of political parties as well as violative of Articles 2-A(Objectives Resolution), 8(Laws inconsistent with or in derogation of fundamental rights to be void), 9(Security of person), 15(Freedom of movement), 16(Freedom of assembly), 17(Freedom of association), 25(Equality of Citizen), 31(Islamic Life), 32(Promotion of Local Government Institutions) and 227(Provisions relating to the Holy Quran and Sunnah)”.

He also sought a declaration from the apex court that the Local Government Elections Order 2000 did not empower provincial governments or governors from forbidding political parties from participating in the polls.