Summary Punjab Governor signs the Local Government Amendment Bill 2013.
LAHORE (Dunya News) - Punjab government has agreed to hold local bodies elections on party basis.
In this regard, Punjab Governor Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwa has signed the amendment Bill.
Punjab Law Department has issued notification of the Amendment Ordinance in the Local Bodies Act 2013 and has sent the Bill to the Election Commission of Pakistan.
Earlier, a division bench of the Lahore High Court on Thursday ordered the Punjab government to hold party-based local government elections in the province.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial and Justice Muhammad Farrukh Irfan Khan, while disposing of a number of petitions, declared Section 18 of the newly promulgated Punjab Local Government Act 2013 void, and ordered local government elections in Punjab on party basis.
The section 18 reads "…election of members of all local governments shall be held on non-party basis, through secret ballot on the basis of adult franchise in such manner as may be prescribed".
The court also turned down the petitioners request about delimitation process started by the Punjab government, observing that the provincial government had the authority to carry out delimitation of constituencies.
