JUSTICE Sheikh Azmat Saeed of the Lahore High Court on Tuesday deferred the hearing of a petition challenging appointment of administrators in Local Governments throughout Punjab through an amendment that replaced elected representatives.

The court adjourned the hearing as petitioner’s counsel Ch Fawad Hussain was not available.

The petition was filed by Local Councils Association of Pakistan (LCAP) through its Director Anwer Hussain.

The petitioner-association through its counsel had said that since the present government came to power, it was making, directly or indirectly, every effort to sabotage the smooth functioning of the District Governments as it resorted to foul means to harass and torment the District Governments.

The district coordination officers (DCOs) who under the law are responsible to assist elected representatives were made to act against the interest of the District Government, he said.

He said at the first instance, the government revived commissioner system at division level that created a third layer of bureaucracy virtually undermining the authority of Local Governments. He said now the provincial government had made amendment in the Punjab Local Government Ordinance 2001 by enacting Punjab Local government (Amendment) Act 2010 that, according to him, was in violation of the constitution.

He said the provincial government not only dissolved the Local Bodies in Punjab but also appointed the administrators through a notification. He said the most significant aspect of this system was a departure from bureaucratic system to representative system which was the essence of Local Government.