ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court extended on Tuesday its deadline to Sept 15 for holding local bodies elections in all 53 cantonment boards in the country after receiving a commitment from the federal government that the polls would be held by that date.

On Jan 3, the court had set May 5 as the date for holding the elections after the expiry of the existing set-up being run by military officers, on a petition filed in 2009 by former vice-president of Quetta cantonment board Advocate Raja Rab Nawaz challenging the absence of local bodies in the cantonment boards for 14 years.

“Thus in view of the commitment made on behalf of the executive, we allow and extend the period up to Sept 15,” observed Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, who heads a three-judge bench seized with the matter.

The bench had on Monday asked Attorney General Muneer A. Malik to submit a written statement on Tuesday after holding a meeting with Defence Secretary retired Lt Gen Asif Yasin Malik and Secretary of the Election Commission of Pakistan Ishtiaq Ahmed Khan on the subject.

The AG submitted a one-page statement containing an undertaking by the defence secretary suggesting that the process of local government elections in all cantonment boards will be completed by Sept 15.

There are 53 cantonment areas, 13 of them small ones like Mangla, Pannu Aqil and Loralai.

During the regime of retired Gen Pervez Musharraf, the military authorities strengthened their hold on cantonment areas and the station commander (head of a cantonment board) started reporting directly to the corps commander of the area.

The last elections were held in October 1998 and the cantonment boards have been without public representation for 14 years in violation of the constitution.

On May 5 last year then prime minister had granted a one-year extension to 31 cantonment boards. The period expired on May 5 this year.

The elections were to be held under the Local Government Ordinance 2002.

The attorney general informed the court that the government was contemplating necessary amendments to the relevant laws for holding the elections but since the process was yet to commence it would take time and, therefore, the request for extension be granted.

“The amendment is necessary in the cantonment laws because the local government set-up will also require elections of nazims and naib nazims,” Rab Nawaz said while talking to the Dawn.

The chief justice praised the attorney general for his efforts to persuade the executive to hold the elections and expressed the hope that the provincial governments as well as the Islamabad administration would make similar arrangements for holding the local government elections all over the country as early as possible in accordance with the law.

He observed that in view of the principle of good governance and constitutional provisions the local bodies played an important role in ensuring people’s welfare.

The chief justice also asked the attorney general to take up the issue of local government elections with the provincial chief secretaries and relevant officers and tell them that it was a constitutional command.