Two identical constitutional petitions – filed against the restoration of commissionerate system and the Land Revenue Act in Sindh – were withdrawn by the petitioners from the Sindh High Court (SHC) on Wednesday.
The counsels for the petitioners, including Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leader Ajmal Dehlvi and others, appeared before the court and filed the withdrawal applications as the previously abolished Local government Ordinance 2001 was restored.
Supporting the local government system of 2001, the petitioners Ajmal Dehlvi and other MQM leaders had stated that the system formulated by former ruler Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf was more beneficial for the masses and progressive projects would be stopped with the restoration of the commissionerate system.
Similarly, another writ petition was filed by Advocate Iqbal Haider, chairman of the Awami Himayat Tehreek Pakistan in the apex court against the revival of the commissionerate system. Haider argued that the system is a violation of several articles of the constitution including Article 140-A, 14, 9, 5 and 15.
The Sindh government had earlier issued three ordinances, restoring the local government system put in place by the administration of former president Gen Ziaul Haq and the police system imposed by the first Viceroy of India, Lord Charles Canning.
The petitioner stated that in the light of the constitution’s Article 140, provincial assemblies did not have the power to abolish the local government system as the local government ordinance was enforced after approval from the parliament.
It is pertinent to mention that a constitutional petition, filed by senior lawyer Shabeer Shar, had also been filed in Sindh High Court Sukkur Bench against the revival of the nazim System and the changing the status of Karachi to one district.
The high court declared the petition as maintainable and issued notices to the advocate general and other respondents.