ISLAMABAD: Uncertainty continues shrouding the fate of the long-delayed local government polls in Pakistan’s largest province of Pakistan, as the hearing of the related case that was scheduled on Friday, stood postponed after the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) recently delisted this case without giving any reason.
The ECP had earlier issued notices to Chief Secretary Zahid Akhar Zaman and Secretary LG Punjab Shakeel Ahmad Mian to appear for hearing of the case on 20th February regarding the delay in the conduct of LG elections in Punjab, and non-provision of required documents by the provincial government.
Later, however, the ECP issued a delisting notice for this case without citing any reason.
The case hearing was postponed on the request of the Punjab government officials, it is learnt.
During the last hearing of this case on the last month’s 22nd, the ECP constituted a committee to work in coordination with Punjab government to finalise measures for holding LG elections in Punjab, warning that Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz would be summoned if the provincial government continued to show non-compliance with electoral body’s directions over LG elections.
The decision regarding the formation of the committee was taken by the five-member ECP full bench headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja.
The CS and secretary LG Punjab appeared before the bench in the said hearing.
The ECP bench constituted the committee under the command of Special Secretary ECP Zafar Iqbal Hussain, tasked to work in coordination with a Punjab government’s committee.
The committee was directed by the ECP bench to finalise steps by 10 February for holding LG elections in the province. The ECP bench was scheduled to review the performance of the committee in Friday’s hearing – before the case was delisted.
“It’s a crying shame that the local government elections have not been held in Punjab since the year 2021 — don’t force us to summon the CM Punjab and make her sit here—if the results are not achieved within the given timeline, then the ECP will take the matter in its hands,” remarked the CEC in the 22 January hearing.
Presently, the local bodies are in place in Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, and cantonment boards, but LG elections in Punjab and the federal capital have been facing an inordinate delay since 2021.
The local bodies’ term in the ICT expired on 14th February 2021, and in Punjab on 31st December 2021.
Legally, the electoral body is bound to hold LG elections within 120 days of the expiry of the relevant local bodies’ term, under Section 219(4) of the Elections Act, 2017.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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