ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is scheduled to issue today (Saturday) the details of the nominations received for the election of mayor Islamabad being held on December 28 while the two political arch rivals Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) have not so far announced their candidates for the coveted slot.
The deadline for receiving nomination papers for mayor election ended on Friday. The final list of contesting candidates would be issued on this month's 22nd after scrutiny of nominations, objection(s) (if any) against any nomination(s), appeal(s) (if any) and withdrawal of candidature(s) (if any).
Till the filing of this report on Friday night, neither PTI nor PML-N had announced any candidate for mayor's position.
Malik Rafiq, Raja Sheeraz Kiani and Malik Sajid from PTI and Raja Waqar Mumtaz, Sajid Abbasi and Sardar Mehtab Khan from PML-N were among the candidates regarded as potential aspirants for the mayor slot, sources said.
On Wednesday, the December 9, around two-and-a-half months after the resignation of the Mayor of Islamabad Sheikh Anser Aziz from PML-N, ECP finally kicked off the drive to elect the new mayor with the issuance of public notice regarding mayor election by Returning Officer Naeem Ahmad that was followed by the issuance of nomination papers.
On October 1 this year, the mayor of Islamabad tendered his resignation due to his reported differences with federal government. Under the law, the ECP was required to hold election on the vacant seat within 30 days from the date it was notified as vacant. However, the ECP issued election schedule for mayor Islamabad's election only on December 4, over two months after the mayor's seat fall vacant.
Section 31 of the Islamabad Capital Territory Local Government Act 2015 reads , "If the office of a mayor, deputy mayor, chairman or vice chairman, or a member indirectly elected on a reserved seat, for any reason, falls vacant during the term of office of a local government, the new mayor, deputy mayor, chairman, vice chairman or member shall be elected in the prescribed manner within thirty days from the date when such vacancy is notified and he shall, subject to this Act, hold office for the remaining term of the local government."
In the light of Section 33 (1) and (2) of Islamabad Capital Territory Local Government Act 2015, the resignation of the mayor stands accepted and becomes effective forthwith after it is tendered.
This section reads "(1) A mayor, deputy mayor, chairman, vice chairman or a member may resign his office by tendering resignation in writing under his hand to the local government of which he is the mayor, deputy mayor, chairman, vice chairman or a member.
(2) The resignation tendered under sub-section (1) shall be deemed to have been accepted and effective forthwith and the local government shall forward copies of the resignation to the Election Commission and the government."
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020
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