LAHORE: The Supreme Court expressed annoyance on Monday over failure of the federal and provincial governments to come up with clear replies about holding the local bodies elections and ordered them to submit in one week reports on steps being taken to enforce Article 140-A of the Constitution and the court’s directions in this regard.

The directive was issued by a three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry which had taken up a case relating to local government elections at the Lahore registry of the Supreme Court.

The next hearing will be held in Islamabad on Oct 21.

The chief justice regretted that the governments had hoodwinked the nation on the issue of local government elections. He also came down hard on the Election Commission of Pakistan and said it should have written letters to the provincial governments every week about holding the elections.

Justice Jawad S. Khwaja, a member of the bench, said the governments might think that there was some benefit for the judges in the holding of the polls. “The only thing we want is implementation of the constitution,” he said.

Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed said it appeared that the provincial governments were reluctant to transfer powers to the local administration but the constitution did not allow it.

Justice Khwaja said the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government had promised to hold the elections in 90 days, but failed to do so. He said political parties were violating their manifestos and wanted courts to do their (parties) job.

The chief justice remarked that the apex court had been exercising maximum restraint on the matter. “We want the governments to fulfil their constitutional obligations. Otherwise, they will be in trouble,” he warned.

ECP Secretary Ishtiaq Ahmad said it was the job of the provinces to complete election-relation formalities, including legislation and delimitation. He informed the court that the commission had not received any request from any of the provinces.

The additional attorney general and law officers of the provinces sought two weeks to submit replies, but the court gave them one week and asked them to come up with clear replies on Oct 21.

When the ECP secretary insisted that the commission should be given more time because of Eidul Azha, Justice Khwaja asked him to work on holidays because the constitution was being violated in the case.

NON-PARTY POLLS: A division bench of the Lahore High Court directed the Punjab government to file on Oct 18 its reply to the points raised by a set of petitions challenging the decision to hold local bodies elections on non-party basis and the process of delimitation in the province.

The petitions have been filed by opposition parties — PPP, PTI and PML-Q — and some individuals.