LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Thursday observed that apparently the non-party local government election being held in Cantonment areas was in violation of the Constitution.

Hearing petitions against the non-party polls and old delimitation of Cantonment areas, Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah questioned as to how a (democratic) government could be established without political parties.

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf Lahore Cantonment President Awais Younas and others filed petitions saying the Election Commission of Pakistan announced local government polls for 42 cantonments areas of the country on direction of the Supreme Court.

They said the LG election scheduled for April 25 was being held on non-party basis in violation of Article 17 of the Constitution and an order passed by the Lahore High Court in 2013.

The petitioners stated the Constitution gives a right to every citizen to precipitate in political activities and affiliate with any political party. They said the LHC had also directed the provincial government to hold the LG polls on party basis.

Another petitioner said the cantonment board had not held new delimitation for the upcoming polls.

He said the poll without new delimitation was a violation of the Constitution. He asked the court to stay the election process till fresh process of delimitation by the Cantonment board.

A deputy attorney general told the court that the Supreme Court did not pass any direction about non-party LG polls and the delimitation.

Justice Shah said he was not staying the election schedule due to the apex court’s order, however, apparently holding of the LG polls on non-party basis was in negation of democracy and the Constitution.

The judge sought assistance from the attorney general on the matter and also announced that a day-to-day hearing of the case would be held from next date, April 3.

Published in Dawn, March 27th, 2015

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