LHC grants ECP time to submit reply in pleas seeking party-based local govt elections in Punjab

LAHORE, Mar 18 (APP):The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday granted time to the Election Commission of Pakistan to file its reply in petitions seeking local government elections in Punjab on a party basis.
Justice Sultan Tanveer Ahmad heard the petitions filed by Jamaat-e-Islami’s Ziauddin Ansari and an opposition member of the Punjab Assembly, who challenged the move to hold local body elections on a non-party basis.
During the hearing, counsel for the Election Commission of Pakistan, Imran Arif Ranjha, appeared before the court and requested time to submit a written reply and prepare arguments.
Accepting the request, the court adjourned further proceedings until after Eid al-Fitr.
The petitions states that amendments have been introduced to the Punjab Local Government Act 2017, under which local government elections are proposed to be conducted on a non-party basis.
The petitioners argued that the move would weaken democratic values and urged the court to direct authorities to hold local government elections on a party basis.