ISLAMABAD – The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has ordered local government elections in the federal capital under the Islamabad Local Government Act 2015 and announced that the election schedule will be issued today.
Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja announced the decision while hearing a case concerning delays in holding local government elections in Islamabad. Officials from the ECP and the Ministry of Interior attended the proceedings.
Islamabad last held local government elections in 2015, while the elected local government completed its term on February 14, 2021. Fresh elections have not been held since then, despite the legal requirement to conduct polls within 120 days after the expiry of the previous term.
During the hearing, ECP Special Secretary Zafar Iqbal Malik told the commission that the federal government had issued an ordinance concerning local government elections. However, the ordinance expired on September 6 while the delimitation process was underway.
He said the final list of constituencies for Islamabad’s local government elections had been published on October 14. The commission had also sent reminders to the Ministry of Interior, but the required local government rules had not been provided.
He said the Ministry of Law declined to approve the rules, while the federal government had yet to introduce a new local government law.
The commission decided to proceed under the existing 2015 legislation. Raja said conducting elections under the law would not affect the completed delimitation process.
Expressing concern over the prolonged delay, the chief election commissioner remarked that the situation suggested the government did not want local government elections in Islamabad. He said the commission was compelled to issue an order to ensure the polls proceeded.
The ECP has directed that the election schedule be issued on October 21.