Appointment of local government administrators: LHC allows re-filing of petition

Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday allowed petitioner to amend and re-file a petition challenging appointment of administrators in local governments. As the hearing started on Wednesday, the court asked petitioner's counsel as to why he had not made election commission as necessary party.
On this, petitioner's counsel sought permission to withdraw petition and file it again after making necessary amendments in it, which the court allowed. The petition was by Local Councils Association of Pakistan (LCAP) through its Director Anwer Hussain.
The petitioner-association through its counsel had said that since the present government has come to power, it was making directly or indirectly, every effort to subvert and sabotage the smooth functioning of the District Governments. He said at the first instance, the government revived Commissioners at division level that created a third layer of bureaucracy virtually undermining the authority of Local Governments. He said now provincial government had made amendment in Punjab Local Government Ordinance 2001, that according to him, is a clear violation of Article 140-A of the Constitution.
He said as a result of enactment, provincial government not only dissolved the local bodies in Punjab but also appointed administrators through a notification. He therefore prayed to the court to set aside appointment of administrators by declaring amendment in the PLGO as ultra vires to the Constitution. He further prayed that the elected representative of the local bodies be allowed to continue their respective offices till the next election of local bodies.