Decision to hold Neighbourhood & Village Council elections in KP on a non-partisan basis was unconstitutional: PHC

PESHAWAR, Nov 02 (SABAH):  The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Tuesday declared that the decision to hold the Neighbourhood and Village Council elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on a non-partisan basis was unconstitutional.

The Peshawar High Court announced this decision in a short ruling while hearing pleas filed by the opposition politicians against the K-P government. Justice Arshad Ali announced the short order of the case reserved on Monday.

Akram Khan Durrani of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), Inayatullah Khan and Mushtaq Ahmad Khan of Jamaat-e-Islami and Khushdal Khan, Himayatullah Mayar had filed a petition against the local government election.

The PHC directed the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and government to take necessary steps to hold party-based elections. The court in its order said that the nomination papers should be issued to the candidates on the party basis. The court in its order said that the ECP should hold the local government elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa according to the announced schedule; however these elections should be held on party basis and ECP and government should take effective steps for holding the local government elections on party basis and ensure holding of elections on party basis.