LAHORE, Aug 30: Opposition parties in the Punjab Assembly are going to file a petition in the Lahore High Court next week to challenge the Punjab Local Government Bill 2013.

“We are preparing the petition and will file it next week,” Opposition Leader in Punjab Assembly Mahmoodur Rashid told Dawn. He said the main plea was against holding the local elections on a non-party basis, no powers to the elected representatives and the Punjab Local Government Commission.

He said the opposition parties were on the same page on the issue and they would not allow the PML-N government to violate the Constitution.

PPP Parliamentary Leader in Punjab Assembly Qazi Ahmad Saeed said the opposition would have challenged the ‘illegal’ local government law had it not faced other issues.

The opposition has described the passage of the local government bill a negation of the Constitution’s Article 140-A. It is of the view that it will encourage “horse-trading and nepotism.”

It says the bill instead of empowering the people at the grass-roots level will further strengthen the Punjab government.