ECP postpones local govt polls in Islamabad

By Muhammad JuniadPublished On 05 Jan 2023

The Election Commission of Pakistan on Tuesday once again delayed local government (LG) polls in Islamabad after hearing the grievances of stakeholders following the order of the Islamabad High Court (IHC).

The polls were scheduled to be held on December 31.

The electoral body announced a short order on its reserved verdict while the detailed one will be issued later.

The federal government last week notified an increase in the number of Union Councils (UCs) in Islamabad.

The notification had been issued a day after the ministry sent a summary to the federal government which the sources said was approved through circulation.

Following this, the ECP summoned an emergency meeting to deliberate on the situation and decided not to delay LG elections in the federal capital.

But on December 24, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) nullified the ECP’s order.

“The election commission should revisit its decision and hear the government and other parties on December 27. For correcting the voter lists, the affected parties should also be heard on December 28,” IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq said.

Hence, the commission went for a review of its decision again and finally decided to delay the local bodies’ elections.