The Lahore High Court on Wednesday disposed of the petitions challenging amendments in local government laws that had also changed procedure for election of mayors and deputy mayors from secret balloting to show of hands as government has withdrawn the amendments.
Earlier, law officer stated that all the amendments made under Local Government (Amended) Ordinance 2016 had been withdrawn in light of Supreme Court's direction. He asked the court to discharge proceedings of the petitions as grievance of the petitioners stood addressed. Advocate Mubeenuddin Qazi, counsel of PTI and PML-Q, also asked the court to dispose of the matter since the impugned actions of the government had been withdrawn.
The petitioners had submitted that the amended ordinance had overhauled the process of election of chairman or mayor to the selection. The parties argued that secret ballot was a voting method to prevent attempts to influence the voter. They stated that giving retrospective effect to the amendments after the announcement of the schedule of election was a sheer mala fide of the government.