The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday declared appointment of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Ali Nawaz Awan as chairman of Local Government Commission (LGC) null and void. The reserved judgement was pronounced by Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kiyani of the IHC. The court has ordered concerned authorities to design rules for the appointment of the chairman LGC within six months.
Earlier this year, the federal government had formed Local Government Commission for Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT). The interior ministry had issued a notification for the formation of a Local Government Commission following the approval of the federal cabinet.
The commission was formed under the Islamabad Capital Territory Local Government Act 2015 and it would prepare plans for the local government of Islamabad.
It must be noted that the constitution of forms Local Government Commission came after a growing dispute between the Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI) and the Capital Development Authority (CDA).
Meanwhile, a petition has been filed in the Islamabad High Court challenging the out of turn plot allotments allocated to Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Principal Secretary Azam Khan and nine other bureaucrats.
The petition has been filed by former cabinet secretary Abu Ahmed Akif through his counsel Barrister Zafarullah Khan in the IHC.
The petitioner has contended that Azam Khan, bureaucrats from aviation division, planning division and petroleum division, and former secretary information Shafqat Jalil have been allotted plots.
The petitioner has claimed that the allotment is not only illegal but also has been done without any reason. It added that the plot allocated in Islamabad’s Sector D-12 was created and no objections were raised against the changes made in the layout plan. The former cabinet secretary has alleged that plots have been allotted to benefit the bureaucrats. IHC’s Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kiyani is expected to hear the petition.
