ISLAMABAD, Oct 5: Justice Noorul Haq N. Qureshi of Islamabad High Court (IHC), while hearing two identical petitions seeking local bodies’ elections in the federal capital, on Friday sought reply from the chief commissioner and secretary ministry of Capital Administration and Development till October 8.

The petitioners through their counsel Dr Babar Awan and Kokab Iqbal maintained that under article 32 of the constitution, the respondents were duty-bound to hold the elections to meet the demands and requirements of the public.

Under sub-article (2) (B) of article 1 of the constitution, Islamabad capital territory is an independent federating unit; therefore, all its citizens must be treated as equal before the law and entitled to equal protection of law as guaranteed under article 25 of the constitution, said the petitions.

Owing to unwritten and ultra-constitution policy, urban citizens of Islamabad were always discriminated against in sheer disregard of constitutional provisions as no LBs elections were ever held and the residents were left hostage to the malpractice and maladministration of non-elected and non-representative body of the Capital Development Authority (CDA), it added.

It said not holding the LG elections in Islamabad was illegal, unlawful and discriminatory. The court was requested for directions to the respondents to take steps to create a local government institution in the capital and hold the elections after completing legal formalities.