Islamabad LG elections: ECP to approach PM office for notification

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has decided to approach the office of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for the issuance of relevant notifications in order to fulfil the legal requirements for holding the local government elections in the federal capital.

In the written order issued Wednesday after hearing the case regarding prolonged delay in the conduct of LG elections in the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), the ECP directed its secretary to approach the PM’s adviser to ensure the approval of the above notifications of limits of town corporations and number of union councils in each town corporation in the ICT.

The written order, issued by a four-member ECP bench, stated that the Commission is of the “considered view that the process of conduct of local government election in ICT has been delayed on various accounts including non-assistance of the federal government as mandated under the Constitution and law.”

The bench comprised ECP members; Nisar Ahmed Durrani, Shah Muhammad Jatoi, Babar Hassan Bharwana and former Justice Ikram Ullah Khan.

In its order, the Commission expressed its “serious concern for not being provided the requisite data to ensure timely conduct of local government election in ICT.”

Earlier, during the hearing of the ICT LG polls delay case, Deputy Commissioner Islamabad Irfan Nawaz Memon informed the bench that the matter involving the issuance of the required notifications was pending with the PM’s office.

Chief Commissioner Islamabad Sohail Ashraf, who was summoned in person for Wednesday’s hearing, took exemption from physical appearance, citing his official engagements at the PM house.

The chief commissioner and DC Islamabad were again summoned in person for next hearing of this case on the coming Tuesday (7 July).

Separately, the same bench heard the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa LG elections case. Like chief commissioner Islamabad, Chief Secretary KP Shahab Ali Shah too, who was summoned in person for the hearing, took exemption from physical appearance citing his official engagements.

In the written order issued after the hearing, the bench noted that the KP government was not providing “meaningful assistance to the Commission as mandated under the Constitution and law, thereby unnecessarily delaying the holding of local government elections in the province.”

The poll body, in its order, expressed “serious concern by not being provided the requisite data to ensure timely conduct of local government election in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.”

The bench summoned the chief statistician Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) Dr Naeem Uz Zafar in person or through an authorised representative on July 7.

Secretary LG KP Zafar ur Islam, who appeared before the bench in Wednesday’s hearing, was again summoned in person along with the chief secretary KP on July 7.

The bench adjourned the hearings of both the cases till July 7.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026