ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has summoned a key session on July 10 to discuss the local government (LG) elections in Punjab and Islamabad.
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikander Sikander Raja will chair an important session to hold consultations for the local bodies elections in Punjab elections and Islamabad polls.
The primary agenda of the meeting will revolve around the meticulous planning and preparations for the upcoming local government elections in Islamabad and the Punjab province, with a special emphasis on ensuring their timely and efficient execution.
In March this year, the ECP gave an undertaking in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) that local bodies elections in Islamabad would be held within four months.
The LG elections were scheduled to be held on December 31, 2022. However, the federal government increased the Union Council from 101 to 125 just days before the polls. The ECP rejected te increase and instructed to hold the elections as per the schedule.
The federal government filed a petition before the IHC and the court asked the commission to examine the legal aspects after hearing the government’s point of view.
The ECP postponed the LG elections on December 27. However, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and Jamat-i-Islami challenged this decision before the IHC. Justice Arbab Mohammad Tahir heard the petitions and directed the ECP to hold the elections as per schedule on December 31.
It may be mentioned that in 2015 LB elections were held in Islamabad in 50 UCs. The last year’s elections of the local bodies were scheduled in June, however, these were delayed after the government increased the UCs to 101.
In November 2022, the ECP announced it will hold local government (LG) elections in Punjab in the last week of April 2023. The ECP directed the Punjab provincial government to ensure immediate local government elections in the province.
ECP officials said that frequent amendments to local government laws made by the provincial government were the main reason behind the delay.
