MANSEHRA: A group of Balakot tehsil council members on Tuesday challenged the ‘selection’ of the presiding officer by the house’s chairman in the Abbottabad Circuit Bench of the Peshawar High Court.

“The council chairman doesn’t have the lawful authority to select the presiding officer, and I have challenged his move in the court on behalf of a group of councillors,” Munir Hussain Lughmani Advocate told a press conference here.

He alleged Balakot tehsil chairman Ibrahim Shah had got selected Liaqat Khassan as the presiding officer in violation of the rules.

Mr Lughmani said a group of tehsil councillors led by Sajid Khan, Mohammad Mahroof Awan and Ishfaq Khan had moved a writ petition in the PHC’s Abbottabad Circuit Bench, pleading the

Petitioner claims tehsil chairman made decision in violation of rules

election of the presiding officer under the amended Local Government Act, 2022, was the job of the Election Commission of Pakistan and not the tehsil chairman’s.

He said the Act was amended in 2022, empowering the ECP to hold elections to the post of the presiding officer through balloting.

Mr Lughmani said the ECP had already issued the election schedule earlier this year for appointment of presiding officers in the areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where the elections to the local government were held in the second phase.

He said some councillors had challenged the election schedule in the high court, and the case was still pending.

“By selecting the presiding officer of his choice, the Balakot tehsil chairman has committed a contempt of court as the case is sub-judice,” he said.

Meanwhile, over 70 male and female councillors of the 90-member Mansehra tehsil council also held a session, nominating Malik Mumtaz as the presiding officer.

On the occasion, Mr Mumtaz said his nomination was a blow to the efforts of council chairman Sheikh Shafi to ‘select’ his blue-eyed person as the presiding officer.

MEETING: Hazara division police chief Tahir Ayub on Tuesday asked the Mansehra district police officer to enhance the security of foreigners working on energy and other development projects in the area.

“I am satisfied with arrangements made for the security of foreigners, but there is always room for improvement,” he told a meeting of police officers here.

District police officer Zahoor Babar Afridi briefed the DIG on the arrest of outlaws and the crackdown on narcotics peddlers in the district.

Later, Mr Ayub addressed a gathering attended by ulema, journalists, lawyers, traders and other segments of society. He sought the participants’ cooperation in arresting outlaws and narcotics smugglers.

Published in Dawn, May 10th, 2023