PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court Abbottabad Bench has asked the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to postpone the Local Government (LG) election in the remaining 18 districts of the province till May.
The short order issued by a two-judge bench comprising Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim and Justice Shakil Ahmad while hearing two identical petitions filed by Malik Aurangzeb and Mohammad Iqbal. The petitioners urged that election in five districts of Hazara division will be impossible due to heavy snowfall, thus, the polling process should be delayed till April.
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The bench will issue detailed verdict on Wednesday [today].
The petitioner argued that there will be severe cold in the hilly areas till March and due to which over 60% of the citizens of these areas migrate towards cities, therefore, the Local government elections should be held in April. However, the court decided to hold the poll in May as the holy month of ramazan falls in April.
The Election Commission has already issued the polls schedule under which nomination papers were to be issued from February 4, while polling for the second phase was to be held on March 27. According to Election Commission sources, the detail judgment of Peshawar High Court will be available on Wednesday, after which the Election Commission will consult its legal team in this regard to take final decision.
The election in 18 districts – Malakand, Shangla, Swat, Upper Dir, Lower Dir, Upper Chitral, Lower Chitral, South Waziristan, North Waziristan, Orakzai, Kurram, Upper Kohistan, Lower Kohistan, Kolai Pals, Abbottabad, Mansehra, Torghar and Battagram – were scheduled on 27 March.