The Supreme Court Tuesday ruled that according to Article 140-A of the Constitution, holding local government (LG) elections was the constitutional responsibility of Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
The three-member bench headed by Chief Justice Jawwad S Khawaja comprising Justice Dost Muhammad Khan and Justice Qazi Faez Isa disposed of two petitions regarding holding of LG polls and ordered the ECP to decide the dates for holding the elections in Punjab and Sindh.
The ECP was not supposed to request the provinces for dates, but rather it should issue orders as LG elections had not been held in Punjab and Sindh for six years, the court observed.
During the course of proceedings, an ECP official informed the court that holding LG elections in the two provinces was not possible due to floods as all the administrative staffs were busy in relief activities. He said the ECP was determined to hold the LG polls in both the provinces and sought time.
Justice Isa remarked that if the ECP officials could not fulfill their responsibility then they should resign. He cited the example of Iran, where municipal elections were held twice despite war against Iraq. One constitutional entity was expressing its inability to perform its duties and seeking other’s permission for violating the Constitution, he added.