TAXILA: The chairman of the municipal committee Attock along with four councilors and about 60 other people were booked by the police on the charge of entering their offices forcibly and damaging official record and property.

Chairman Nasir Mehmood along with former chairman Shahid Mehmood, councilors Mohammad Arif, Zahoor Ellahi, Tariq Waliam and Mian Shah Nawaz and PML-N youth wing district president Rehmat Khan and district secretary information Awad Arif and around 60 supporters reached the municipal committee office to assume charge.

The local administration had locked the main gate and the office. The local government members and their supporters climbed the gate and entered the office by breaking the locks.

Later, they held a press conference and condemned the local administration for locking the gate of the municipal committee and their offices.

They said the Supreme Court in its recent verdict had restored all local governments in Punjab and no one can stop them from assuming their offices for public service delivery.

“The Supreme Court on Thursday restored Punjab’s local governments, which were dissolved by the PTI government on May 4, 2019, ahead of the expiry of their tenure on Jan 1, 2022,” said Nasir Mehmood.

He said the administrator was not empowered to stop them from joining the offices and, therefore, they have removed the nameplate of the administrator from the office.

When contacted, a spokesman for the district administration said as no notification had been issued by the secretary local government the offices would not be handed over to the local government members.

The former chairman, vice chairman and councilors would have the right to take charge of their offices but forcefully entering the offices is wrong, he added.

Later, on the complaint of Aurangzaib, enforcement inspector municipal committee, police registered a case against nine nominated people, including Nasir Mehmood, and 60 others.

It may be mentioned that on Monday, the district administration also locked the gate of the district council and did not allow chairperson Eman Waseem to resume work.

She also broke the locks of the gate and door and forcefully assumed the charge.

Published in Dawn, March 31st, 2021