The Supreme Court Tuesday turned down the Election Commission of Pakistan's (ECP) plea to grant one more month for Local Bodies (LB) polls in Punjab and Sindh and sought the elections schedules by August 12 (today). Resuming the hearing of a matter relating to the LB polls in Punjab and Sindh, a three-member bench led by Justice Jawwad S Khawaja issued directives to the two provincial governments to finalise proposals and schedules after consultation with the ECP and submit a report in the court.
Punjab Advocate General Naveed Rasool and counsel for the ECP Munir Piracha appeared before the court. An adjournment application was filed by the Sindh government's counsel Farooq H Naek who was absent from the proceedings prompting the bench to remark that if the counsel cannot appear in the court in the current matter then the provincial Advocate General should represent Sindh in the case. During the course of proceedings, Justice Jawwad S Khawaja expressed dismay over the delay in holding local bodies' elections and observed that the provincial governments failed to perform their constitutional obligation and thereby deprived voters of exercising their right to elect representatives. Advocate General of Punjab Naveed Rasool submitted to tender an apology on a 6-year delay in holding the LB polls in the province to which Justice Jawwad S Khawaja said that Sindh and Punjab governments should tender apologies to their people for not fulfilling their constitutional duty.