The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday ordered the government to hold local bodies' election within the next six months in the federal capital. Justice Noorul Haq Qureshi was hearing separate petitions filed by advocate Kaukab Iqbal and former law minister Babar Awan. The court ordered the Secretary Interior and Chief Commissioner Islamabad to fulfil all legal requirements in this regard.
The petition was filed about six months ago and the petitioners contended that the common man was being deprived of his basic rights because local government elections were not being held and people residing in and around the federal capital were facing numerous problems. The petitioners argued that under Articles 32 and 102 of the Constitution, the respondents were duty-bound to hold elections.
Kaukab Iqbal also argued that the government had done nothing despite adopting the Islamabad Local Government Act of 2002. He further told the court that local elections were held in Islamabad four times since 1992, but in urban areas municipal elections were not held so far, depriving over 2 million population of Islamabad of this right. Earlier, the IHC sought replies from the secretary of the Capital Administration and Development Division and the Islamabad Chief Commissioner in response to these petitions.
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