ISLAMABAD:
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday set July 1 as the deadline for authorities in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Islamabad to submit long-awaited maps, notices and other data needed to move ahead with local government (LG) elections.
The commission summoned senior officials from both administrations to explain the lengthy delays.
Chairing a high-level meeting at the ECP Secretariat, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja along with commissioners, the ECP secretary and senior officials reviewed the preparations for local government elections in Islamabad, Punjab and KP.
Expressing displeasure at the speed of progress, the commission directed KP chief secretary, local government secretary, Islamabad chief commissioner and deputy commissioner to appear before it on July 1 after submitting all outstanding documents.
The commission expressed particular concern over the inability of the KP government to provide the necessary maps and related data to 15 districts despite repeated requests.
Invoking Article 220 of the Constitution, which mandates executive authorities to assist the ECP in the discharge of its constitutional functions, the commission ordered notices to the KP Chief Secretary and Local Government Secretary.
Both officials have been asked to submit the necessary maps and data before the next hearing on July 1 and personally explain the reasons behind the delay.
The commission was also informed that the matter regarding delimitation of city corporations and notification of the number of union councils (UCs) in each city corporation of Islamabad had already been sent to the federal cabinet for approval.
But despite the matter being before the Cabinet, the necessary notices and cards are yet to be provided to the ECP. Accordingly, the commission also fixed Islamabad’s case for hearing on July 1 and issued notices to the Chief Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner of Islamabad.
For Punjab, the ECP directed his provincial office to complete all necessary preparations so that the election schedule could be announced immediately after the delimitation exercise is over.
The commission noted that local government elections have faced repeated postponements across the country due to legal, administrative and procedural hurdles.
In Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, the term of office of local governments expired on 15 March 2026. According to the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Local Government Act, 2013, elected local representatives serve a term of four years.
According to Article 140-A of the Constitution and Section 219(4) of the Electoral Act, new municipal elections were required within 120 days, meaning that they should have been held before the end of April 2022.
However, repeated amendments to the province’s Local Government Act prevented the process from moving forward.
