- IHC’s judge says CDA powers must shift to elected Metropolitan Corporation
- Notes IHC gave four, SC one ruling—all ignored by govt, warning governance has collapsed, with no institution doing its job
- Stresses citizens’ right to representation, criticising selective application of law, delaying polls for five years
ISLAMABAD: Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday voiced strong criticism of the federal government for failing to hold local government elections in the capital, despite repeated directions from both the high court and the Supreme Court.
Hearing a case related to the Capital Development Authority (CDA), Justice Kayani observed that under the law, administrative powers were to be transferred from the CDA to the Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI), noting that many functions currently being handled by the CDA Board legally belonged to the local government.
“Every single rupee of expenditure is the authority of the local government. The Constitution says that elected representatives of the people will exercise their powers,” he remarked. The judge recalled that the IHC had issued four judgments and the Supreme Court one judgment directing the conduct of local body polls, yet the government had failed to act.
Questioning the state of governance in the country, Justice Kayani asked whether there was any institution in Pakistan “capable of fulfilling its responsibilities.” He added, “Show me one institution, including the judiciary, that is doing the job it is meant to do. Have you seen the state of the subordinate courts?”
The judge lamented what he described as the collapse of governance, stressing that 250 million citizens were living without proper institutional accountability. “The very spirit of governance is gone. The work that was meant to be done by elected representatives is being done by the courts,” he observed.
Justice Kayani also criticised the selective application of law, saying that powerful quarters insisted on continuity of the system only when it served their interests. “For the past five years, local government elections have not been allowed because it does not suit certain people,” he said, adding that the people of Islamabad had the right to be represented by their elected leaders.
He further remarked that the hardships faced by ordinary citizens were no different from those faced by judges, underscoring that institutions must function within their defined roles. “Mistakes can happen, but there should not be mala fide intent,” he cautioned.
Calling the current state of affairs “deeply unfortunate,” Justice Kayani concluded by saying the situation was so troubling that one could “only pray for betterment.”
