LAHORE: Civil society activists, lawyers and former councillors gathered in Lahore on Wednesday to demand that the Punjab government hold long-delayed local government elections without further delay, warning that the province’s 56percent of Pakistan’s population remains without elected grassroots representation.
The Women Convention, organized by Women in Struggle for Empowerment (WISE) to mark International Democracy Day, drew over 130 participants from nine districts. Speakers, including WISE Executive Director Bushra Khaliq and local governance expert Salman Abid, said Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan already have functioning local governments, leaving Punjab an outlier.
Participants called for guaranteed 33percent representation for women at all tiers, direct elections for reserved seats, and greater inclusion of peasants and labourers.
PML-N lawmaker Qudsia Batool said the newly passed Punjab Local Government Act 2026 would see polls conducted in phases, with preparations already underway.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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