Pakistan\u2019s top electoral body has filed an intra-court appeal against the Islamabad High Court\u2019s (IHC) decision to conduct the Local bodies elections in the federal capital on December 31 (today).
\nAccording to media reports,\u00a0the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has made Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), and Jamat-e-Islami and leaders respondents in the case.
\nThe development comes as Islamabad High Court (IHC) ordered ECP to conduct local bodies elections in the country\u2019s federal capital today.
\nLately, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said they respected IHC\u2019s ruling, but the elections would not be possible before four months.
\nThe Islamabad High Court\u00a0will take up the electoral body’s plea for a hearing shortly.
\nOn Friday, the IHC, while accepting the petitions of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) for nullification of ECP\u2019s decision of LG polls’ deferral, directed the electoral body to hold the elections as per the schedule.
\nOn December 27, the ECP had cancelled the December 31 schedule to hold the local government elections in the federal capital after a change in the union councils of the capital territory.
\nHowever, the high court in its one-page short order, asked the federal government to ensure that \u201cit assists the election commission in holding the local government polls\u201d.
\n\u201cThe Ministry of Interior\u2019s December 19 notification has been declared null and void and so is the December 27 notification of the election commission,\u201d the order added.
\nThe election commission had deferred the polls after the federal government increased the number of union councils (UCs) in the capital without taking the former into confidence. Before reserving the verdict, the court had expressed displeasure over the federal government\u2019s attitude.
\nThe ECP held an emergency meeting after the IHC on Friday directed the ECP to hold local government elections in the capital city on December 31 (today) and set aside the ECP\u2019s order dated Dec 27 on the postponement of the polls.
\nDuring the meeting of ECP, it was decided to file an intra-court appeal against the court\u2019s verdict. The election commission will seek at least a week to conduct the polls stating it requires time for the printing and delivery of ballot papers,\u00a0reports said.
\nECP officials also held a meeting with Duggal over the inability to conduct the polls. Chief Election Commissioner Sikander Raja also reached Islamabad and held a meeting on the situation.
\nThe election commission has expressed its inability in the meeting to conduct the local government elections within a day. The deployment of polling and security personnel would become a major challenge for the election commission, it adds.
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