ECP notes Centre's 'non-assistance' among reasons for delay in Islamabad LG polls, summons chief commissioner

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday noted the “non-assistance” of the federal government among the reasons for the delay in local government polls for Islamabad, summoning the city’s chief and deputy commissioners on July 7.

The term of the last local government in Islamabad expired in February 2021, and since then, elections have been delayed under various pretexts.

On Wednesday, a four-member ECP bench chaired by its Sindh member Nisar Ahmed Durrani resumed hearing the case.

Appearing before the electoral watchdog, Islamabad Deputy Commissioner Irfan Nawaz Memon said the district administration has provided the maps required for the LG polls in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT).

In its subsequent order, the ECP said it was of the “considered view that the process of conduct of Local Government Election in ICT has been delayed on various accounts, including non-assistance of the federal government as mandated under the Constitution and law”.

It expressed its “serious concern about not being provided the requisite data to ensure the timely conduct of local government elections in ICT”.

The ECP noted the DC had maintained that the matter was pending before the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), where the draft notification regarding the number of union councils (UCs) had been sent for cabinet approval.

Therefore, the commission advised its secretary to approach the adviser to the prime minister to ensure the approval of the required notifications of limits of town corporations and the number of UCs in each town corporation.

Furthermore, the ECP also directed ICT Chief Commissioner retired Lt Sohail Ashraf and DC Memon to appear in person at the next hearing at 10am on July 7 (Tuesday).

“The Commission observed that the local government election in ICT has been sufficiently delayed,” the order read.

“It is the constitutional duty of the Commission in terms of Article 140-A (2) of the Constitution read with Article 219(d) and further read with Section 219(4) of the Elections Act, 2017 to conduct the local government elections in ICT and all the four provinces within 120 days of the expiry of term of Local Government,” the ECP stressed.

In its order, the ECP recalled that pursuant to its March 10 order, a committee had been constituted to address and resolve the issues pertaining to the conduct of LG elections in Islamabad.

“It was also directed to re-fix the matter for hearing if issues are not resolved by the said committee. The committee finalised draft notifications of limits of town corporations and number of union councils in each town,” the order read.

While the draft maps were prepared and the commission was briefed that the matter was now before the PMO, the ECP observed that several documents were still awaited “despite the lapse of considerable time”:

Notification specifying the limits of town corporations, along with detailed descriptions of areas, census charges, circles and blocks falling within each town corporation, together with authenticated maps delineating the limits of the town corporations in both soft and hard form.

Notification specifying the number of UCs in each town corporation

Legislation as proposed by the ECP in the Islamabad Capital Territory Local Government (Amendment) Ordinance, 2026 and the amended Islamabad Capital Territory Local Government (Conduct of Elections) Rules, 2015, in conformity with the ordinance.

“Despite numerous correspondences and failure to furnish the aforementioned notifications, maps and amendments, the matter was fixed for hearing with notices to the ICT chief commissioner and the deputy commissioner for their personal appearance on July 1,” the order said.

However, it stated that an exemption application from the personal appearance of the chief commissioner had been received on account of a scheduled meeting with the prime minister. Subsequently, the exemption was granted.

Meanwhile, the Islamabad DC appeared in person and submitted the proposed maps, the order said. It added that the ECP’s special secretary confirmed the receipt of copies of three maps of Town Corporation I, Town Corporation II and Town Corporation III.

According to the ECP, DC Memon sought further time to get confirmation through the Ministry of Interior regarding the approval of notifications by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

In March, the ECP also summoned Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi over the delay in LG elections in the federal capital. ...