LAHORE, Oct 21: A Lahore High Court division bench on Monday directed the officials doing delimitations in Punjab to complete their job fearlessly and strictly in accordance with the law.

The bench headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial issued the direction while hearing a set of petitions against non-party polls in the province under the new Punjab Local Government Law, 2013. The Punjab leadership of the PPP and the PTI and other parties filed these petitions.

Advocate Bakhtiar Kasuri argued on behalf of PTI that doing new delimitations was the responsibility of the election commission but the provincial government seized the powers by introducing new local government law. He said the polls could not be held in a transparent manner if the provincial government was not restrained from carrying out delimitations.

PPP’s counsel Sardar Latif Khan Khosa stated before the court that patwaris had been delegated judicial powers for delimitations. He said the PML-N-led Punjab government was committing pre-poll rigging by using its influence and usurping the powers of the ECP unconstitutionally. He argued that the Constitution had given the power of conducting delimitations to the ECP.

The chief justice remarked that the courts had always protected public interests and would protect them. The courts would never allow anyone to act beyond the law, he said.

An assistant advocate general told the court that the delimitation process was in progress and would be completed soon.

The CJ issued directions to the officials concerned not to succumb to political influence and conduct delimitation strictly in accordance with law. The hearing was adjourned till Oct 24.

Meanwhile, Justice Nasir Saeed Sheikh sought reply from the Punjab government on a writ petition challenging powers of the government to carry out delimitations for the local government election. The judge sought reply within three weeks.