LAHORE: Emboldened by the Supreme Court’s fresh order, Lahore Mayor Mubashir Javaid has called a meeting of over 270 union council chairmen at the district assembly, Town Hall, on Thursday (today) and warned the PTI administration of contempt of court if it tries to stop them.

“I have called the meeting of all UC chairmen (over 270) at the Town Hall in the light of fresh observation of the apex court asking the local body representatives to hold meetings. I have written to the secretary local body government and others concerned warning them if they try to stop us from holding the meeting, it will be tantamount to committing contempt of court,” the mayor told Dawn on Wednesday.

He said Thursday’s meeting would discuss the local government budget 2021-22.

“We will ask the government about the budget allocated for 2021-22 and make our proposals in this regard,” he said and added the meeting would also discuss all those illegal steps taken by the government after suspending the local bodies.

Warns PTI against flouting SC decision

“If the government locks the offices and the district assembly hall, we will hold the meeting outside and expose its blatant violation of the court’s order,” the mayor said. It will be the third session of the Lahore city district assembly since March 25 apex court verdict.

The Supreme Court last week issued a notice to the advocate general for Punjab on a contempt petition for not implementing its March 25 order for the restoration of local government institutions in the province, after their dissolution had been declared unconstitutional. The apex court had ordered the Punjab government more than two months ago to immediately restore the local government institutions, after declaring Section 3 of the Punjab Local Government Act (PLGA) 2019, whereby the local bodies had been dissolved, ultra vires to the Constitution.

Shehbaz Sharif: PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif says the PTI government is trying to hide its mismanagement of economy.

“Govt is busy throwing around selective data these days. Idea is to hide its mismanagement of economy & construct an alternate reality. Outside of the bubble, no one is ready to believe them. The claims are belied by experience of people who never saw such unprecedented hike before,” the opposition leader in National Assembly said in a tweet on Wednesday.

The Muzaffargarh Municipal Committee session was called on Thursday.

On Wednesday, Tehsil Municipal Committee chairman Akram Khan Chandia met DC Amjad Shoaib Tareen for session of his councillors and asked him to open the committee room but the latter refused and said he did not receive any information or instructions from the Punjab government.

Published in Dawn, June 3rd, 2021