Mardan mayor moves high court against amendments to LG law.

PESHAWAR -- Mardan city mayor Himayatullah Mayar has moved the Peshawar High Court requesting it to declare unconstitutional the recent amendments to the provincial local government law, especially the provisions related to the powers of local body heads.

While challenging the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Local Government (Amendment) Act, 2022, which was enacted by the government early this month, the petitioner also sought the suspension of action on the impugned changes to the law until the final disposal of the case as an interim relief.

While the KP Local Government Act, 2013, clearly spelled out the powers and functions of the mayors of city councils and the chairmen of tehsil as well as village and neighbourhood councils in the province, the recent amendments to the law removed them and declared that the local body heads would exercise and perform such powers and functions as prescribed by the rules.

The respondents in the petition are the provincial government through the chief secretary and the secretaries of local government, law and parliamentary affairs departments.

Insists changes in conflict with Constitution

The petitioner, whose lawyer is Babar Khan Yousafzai, said that the elections of the petitioner and other mayors and chairmen of local councils were conducted under the KP Local Government Act (KPLGA), 2013, which defined the mode of the local government and the powers of the elected mayors and chairmen.

The petitioner said that Section 23(A) of the KPLGA defined the powers and functions of the chairmen of the tehsil local government, whereas Section 25(A) provided the powers and functions of the mayor, city local government.

He said that the provincial government had introduced the KP Local Government (Amendment) Bill in the assembly with mala fide intentions, while the house passed it on June 3 and it came into force on June 8.

Mr Mayar complained about the recent changes to...