QUETTA: Provincial President of the National Party (NP), Aslam Baloch, has issued a strong demand for the immediate holding of local government elections in Quetta, denouncing their prolonged delay as a subversion of democratic values. He made these remarks during a press conference at the Quetta Press Club on Thursday, flanked by key party figures including assembly members Mir Rehmat Saleh Baloch, Khair Jan Baloch, Kulsoom Niaz Baloch, and provincial leader Mir Attaullah Bangulzai.
Baloch emphasized that a functional local government system is the essential foundation of any democratic society, crucial for empowering citizens to resolve grassroots issues. He lamented that the people of Quetta and Balochistan at large are being deprived of this fundamental right due to what he described as a deliberate postponement of the polls.
“The provincial government should immediately ensure the holding of local government elections in Quetta,” stated Aslam Baloch. He argued that the continuous deferral is not merely an administrative lapse but a conscious act against democratic principles. Baloch was particularly scathing toward political elements opposed to the elections, claiming, “Those who choose to run away from the local government elections are actually rejected people who do not have the courage to face the public mandate.”
The press conference signals a concerted push by the National Party to place the issue at the forefront of the provincial political agenda. By uniting elected representatives and senior leadership for this demand, the party aims to pressure the Balochistan government to announce an election schedule, framing the delay as a denial of basic democratic rights to the populace and an indicator of political cowardice among their rivals.
Meanwhile the Islamabad High Court (IHC) has announced its ruling in the law degree case of Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri.
The two members bench, headed by Chief Justice Sardar Sarfraz Dogar, declared that Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri’s law degree from the University of Karachi is a fake and ordered to remove him from his position as judge of the Islamabad High Court.
The Court also declared his appointment as judge of the IHC illegal and ordered law ministry to de-notify him from his position.
