ISLAMABAD, March 21: The Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to stay elections for the reserved seats in the Northern Areas Legislative Council. The court, however, asked the government lawyer to give a reply on a petition challenging the six technocrat seats in the council.

Led by Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, a three-member bench issued notice to Attorney General Makhdoom Ali Khan and adjourned the matter. The date of next hearing will be fixed later.

The elections for the 12 reserved seats — six for women and six for technocrats — in the Northern Areas Legislative Council are scheduled for Wednesday (March 22).

Earlier, the bench questioned the maintainability of the petition as Northern Areas were not included in the constitutional ambit of Pakistan.

However, Advocate Mohammad Ikram Chaudhry, the counsel for the petitioners, argued that the apex court in different judgments had guaranteed protection of the fundamental rights of the people of the Northern Areas.

The petitioners have filed by the opposition Pakistan Peoples Party and Muslim League-Nawaz from Northern Areas, challenging the March 4, 2006 amendment to the Legal Framework Order, 1994, to induct six new seats of technocrats in the Northern Areas Legislative Council by the Ministry of Kashmir Affairs and Northern Areas.

“The amendment is discriminatory and amounts to snatching the authority of the legislative council as it had passed a unanimous resolution on November 14, 2005 rejecting the induction of technocrat seats”, the petitioners counsel contended.

The joint petition was moved by Mohammad Ali Akhtar, member Northern Areas Legislative Council of PPP, Gangche chapter president of the party, Mohammad Jaffer, party’s Skardu coordinator Bashir Ahmed and PML-N Gilgit youth Wing President Raja Shahzada Hussain.

They had pleaded the court to stay the polls and declare the election schedule null and void. They had also prayed to the court for revoking the amendment to introduce the technocrats seats.

They contended that the federal government had hijacked in a mala fide way the independence of the council in violation of the democratic spirit.