Chief Election Commissioner warns of contempt, daily hearings as delimitation delays local elections
Election Commission of Pakistan in Islamabad. Photo: Radio Pakistan
ISLAMABAD:
The Election Commission of Pakistan on Thursday summoned Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi over delays in holding local government elections in Islamabad, while issuing a contempt notice to the interior minister for not appearing before the commission.
A five-member bench headed by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja heard the case. Islamabad Chief Commissioner Ali Randhawa appeared before the commission, but the interior minister did not attend the hearing.
“Where’s the Home Secretary?” The CEC asked during the proceedings that the Home Secretary should be summoned in person if the Secretary continued to be absent.
“If the secretary does not come, then we will summon the home minister in his personal capacity,” Raja said, adding that the minister would have to appear at the next hearing.
Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) officials told the bench that a letter had been sent to the interior ministry but no response had been received. They also complained that the Home Secretary was not cooperating with the commission.
Taking note of the absence, the CEC ordered the issuance of a contempt notice to the Home Secretary.
Officials informed the bench that a delimitation notification, Islamabad’s official map and the number of union councilors were required before the delimitation process could begin.
Raja noted that the Islamabad Capital Territory Administration seemed to be taking the matter lightly.
“These elections are the direct responsibility of the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT),” he said, adding that three federal ministers had earlier appeared before the commission and assured it that the issue would be resolved.
“Do not force us to take strict measures,” the CEC warned, directing the authorities to provide a clear timeline. The Chief Commissioner of Islamabad was asked to present progress in the case at the next hearing.
The case was adjourned until next Tuesday.
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Punjab LG polls
The commission also heard a separate case regarding delays in local government elections in Punjab.
Punjab Chief Secretary and Secretary Local Government appeared before the commission during the proceedings.
The ECP Special Secretary informed the bench that the commission had earlier constituted a committee and held several meetings on the issue.
He said the commission already had the Punjab Local Government Act and the delimitation framework, but the provincial government still needed to provide local government election rules and delimitation maps.
“We need the maps to start the delimitation process,” Raja remarked, asking if the exercise could begin immediately.
The Punjab local government secretary told the commission that deputy commissioners had been asked to provide the necessary maps within two to three days.
“Within a week, deputy commissioners will give the cards to district election commissioners,” he said.
ECP officials said the delimitation process would take about two months once the cards were received.
A member of the commission asked if a new election date would be announced after the completion of the two-month exercise.
The CEC gave Punjab a last week’s deadline and ordered all deputy commissioners to submit the cards by March 12.
“If the cards are not provided, the commission will hold a formal hearing,” Raja said.
He added that deputy commissioners from each division would be summoned and the commission would hold daily hearings if the required maps were not submitted.
“If the maps are provided, the process will go ahead; otherwise, we will fix another hearing date,” the CEC said.
Background for delays
The ECP has been hearing the case of delayed local government elections in Islamabad for months and has repeatedly sought the cooperation of the federal government and the Islamabad administration to complete the legal and administrative requirements for the polls.
Under the Islamabad Local Government Act, 2015 – amended in 2024 – the capital’s framework for municipal governance outlines the structure of local bodies, including union councils, representation quotas and the administrative powers of the elected representatives. But officials told the commission that further changes are needed in Section 15 of the Act to facilitate the election process.
During an earlier meeting, the ECP directed the interior ministry and the Islamabad administration to finalize the proposed changes in consultation with the commission under Section 219(3) of the Elections Act, 2017, which empowers the commission to ensure that elections are organized and conducted in accordance with the law.
The commission had fixed November 13 for a hearing on Islamabad’s local government elections and issued notices to the interior minister and chief commissioner Islamabad to discuss the proposed amendments to the law.
Officials informed the commission that it had already written to the home ministry urging it to make necessary changes to ensure smooth implementation of the law.
According to the ECP, the last correspondence received from the Home Ministry on the issue was dated October 23, 2025.
The home minister was summoned after the home minister failed to appear before the commission and over concerns that the necessary legislative amendments and administrative steps – including delimitation and issuance of delimitation notices – had not yet been completed, delaying the electoral process in the federal capital.
Additionally, the issue of delayed local government elections in Punjab has been under scrutiny for months. In December, the provincial government informed the Lahore High Court that the upcoming polls would be held on a party basis under Section 68 of the Punjab Local Government Act, 2025, during hearings on a petition filed by Jamaat-e-Islami challenging the law and seeking confirmation that elections would be conducted on party lines.
Justice Sultan Tanveer Ahmed observed that the case could not proceed without a response from the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and adjourned the hearing.
In January, the ECP took a stern look at the provincial government’s failure to meet legal and administrative requirements for the polls despite earlier assurances.
The commission summoned the Punjab chief secretary and the local government secretary and noted that the provincial authorities had yet to issue delimitation rules and notices to the union councils – key prerequisites for starting the election process.
