ECP warns of hearing if prerequisites for Islamabad local govt polls not met

ISLAMABAD: Months after postponing local government polls in the federal capital for the fourth time, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has directed the interior ministry and Islamabad administration to immediately issue notifications on town corporations’ limits and union councils for polls, warning it would fix the matter for a hearing if there was no progress. Chairing a meeting, Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja said holding local government elections was a constitutional requirement under Article 140(A) of the Constitution, further noting that local governments were functioning in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh and Balochistan, but elections could not be held in Punjab and Islamabad due to changes in local government laws. The ECP also directed the interior secretary and chief commissioner to take up the matter immediately with the relevant standing committee and cabinet. “If no progress is made, the case will be fixed for hearing in the Election Commission,” it said. “If required, this matter will be raised with the federal government at an appropriate level.” Raja said the presence of senior officers in the meeting meant the ECP expected the issues to be resolved “amicably”, so that the delimitation schedule could be issued and local elections held in the capital. Officials briefed the meeting that Islamabad’s local bodies completed their term on February 14, 2021, and no elections have been held since. The federal government amended the Islamabad Local Government Act 2015 through an ordinance on January 10, 2026. Under the amendments, the ECP said it still awaited notification of town corporations’ limits, notification of the number of union councils in each town, maps matching those limits, rules under the ordinance, and amendments proposed by the commission. The Islamabad chief commissioner told the meeting that the proposed notification on town corporations’ limits and union council numbers had been sent to the Min...

Original source: Dawn Pakistan