PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Thursday reserved a decision against the de-notification of the local body representatives by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
Justice Rooh-ul-Amin of a single-member bench had already suspended the ECP’s notification during the last hearing.
The bench observed that if someone was not trustworthy then he/she should be de-notified or de-seated, adding that the caretaker government can keep control over local representatives and if any member of local bodies violates the rules he/she should be penalized.
The Advocate General told the bench that there were reservations about the local bodies’ representatives and therefore they were de-notified to ensure fair and transparent conduct of the elections.
He said that the ECP has the power to issue such orders and recalled that the same decision was also taken in 2018.
Meanwhile, the petitioner argued that during the local government elections, the members of the assembly also launched campaigns for their candidates.
The bench after hearing the arguments of the parties reserved its decision.