The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday reiterated its warning to the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) government and federal authorities against further delaying local government (LG) elections, directing them to submit all pending delimitation notifications before July 28. The tenure of LGs in K-P ended on March 15 this year, while Islamabad's LG term expired in February 2021, leaving approximately 2.5 million residents without elected local representatives.
ECP Hearing on K-P and Islamabad LG Elections
The ECP heard separate cases regarding LG elections in K-P and the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT). In the K-P case, Chief Secretary Shehab Ali Shah, the provincial LG secretary, and officials of the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) appeared before a four-member bench headed by ECP Member from Sindh Nisar Ahmed Durrani. For the ICT case, the Islamabad chief commissioner and deputy commissioner appeared before the commission.
Previous Censure and Constitutional Obligations
The commission recalled that on July 1 it had censured both governments for "unnecessarily delaying" the elections, warning that creating hurdles in the conduct of LG polls could attract serious consequences. In its earlier five-page order, the ECP observed that the K-P government was not providing "meaningful assistance" to the commission as required under Article 220 of the Constitution. Citing Supreme Court judgments reported as 2014 SCMR 1 and 2021 SCMR 714, it held that failure to assist the commission amounted to a constitutional violation.
Delimitation Documents Sought
The ECP noted that on April 22 it had sought three documents required for delimitation in 15 districts: tehsil-wise notifications of Neighbourhood Councils (NCs) and Village Councils (VCs), category-wise reserved seats, and authenticated maps. A reminder issued on May 15 had received what the commission termed an unsatisfactory response.
Impact on Residents
The delay in LG elections has left millions without local governance. In K-P, the LG term ended on March 15, 2023, while in Islamabad, elections have been postponed since February 2021 under various pretexts. The ECP's latest directive aims to expedite the delimitation process to ensure elections are held without further delay.
