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ISLAMABAD: In the wake of continued delay of over four years in the conduct of local government elections in the federal capital, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has finally fixed the related case for hearing on the coming Thursday. The ECP, in this context, decided in a meeting on Wednesday to issue notices to the secretary interior and the Chief Commissioner Islamabad for consultations over fixing a date for the LG polls. Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja presided over the meeting attended by senior ECP officials. The meeting was briefed that Section 15 of the Islamabad Capital Territory Local Government (Amendment) Act 2024 regarding the number of union councils in the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) needed to be amended through parliamentary legislation for holding the LG elections. On 8 August last year, the poll body formally announced to hold the LG polls in the ICT on 29 September last year, and issued the related schedule. On 20 August, the ECP revised ICT LG polls date to 9 October 2024, saying the decision was taken on the request of different political parties and candidates. However, following the passage of the Islamabad Capital Territory Local Government (Amendment) Act 2024, dated 30 August 2024, by the Parliament, the ECP on 4 September last year, decided to hold in abeyance the ICT LG elections’ schedule “till further orders.” In the light of the aforementioned law, the number of general members in each UC in the ICT is required to be increased from six to nine. Given that each general ward has one general member, the number of general wards in each of 125 UCs is required to be increased from 750 to 1125 wards — with the creation of 375 new general wards, for holding the LG elections, unless this law is amended, it is learnt. The ICT LG term expired on 14 February 2021, but the electoral body failed to hold the LG elections in the ICT within the 120-day stipulated period under Section 219(4) of the Elections Act 2017. This law provides that the ECP shall hold LG elections within 120 days of the expiry of LGs’ term of a province, cantonment or the ICT. The Section 219(1) of the Elections Act, 2017 provides that the ECP shall conduct LG elections in a province, cantonment or the ICT under the applicable LG law and rules. The Section 219(3) of the same law provides that the ECP, in consultation with the federal or the provincial government concerned, make an announcement of the date or dates on which the LG elections shall be conducted in a province, cantonment or the ICT. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
