LG elections in cantonments: ECP summons Secretary Defence, DG ML&C

ISLAMABAD: The electoral body has summoned next week Secretary Defence Lieutenant General Muhammad Ali (retd) and Director General Military Lands and Cantonments (ML&C) Major General Jawwad Ahmed Qazi over non-compliance of its directions regarding the conduct of local government elections in the cantonments across the country.

According to a cause list issued by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday, the secretary defence and DG ML&C have been summoned for the case fixed for hearing on the coming Tuesday (21 July) over non-compliance of the ECP’s directions in relation to the conduct of LG polls in 42 cantonments.

On 16 January this year, the ECP issued the schedule for the delimitation of wards for the 42 cantonments located across Pakistan.

Under this schedule, the delimitation exercise was to be completed on 20 April with the issuance of the final list of the delimited cantonment wards.

Of the 42 cantonments, 20 are located in Punjab— Rawalpindi, Chaklala, Taxila, Wah, Attock, Kamra, Sanjwal, Jhelum, Mangla, Kharian, Murree Hills, Sargodha, Shorkot, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Lahore, Walton, Okara, Multan and Bahawalpur.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has 11 cantonments — Peshawar, Nowshera, Cherat, Risalpur, Mardan, Kohat, Bannu, Dera Ismail Khan, Abbottabad, Havelian and Murree Gallies.

Sindh has eight cantonments— Pano Aqil, Hyderabad, Karachi, Clifton, Manora, Malir, Faisal and Korangi Creek.

And, in Balochistan, there are three cantonments—Quetta, Loralai and Zhob.

In a meeting held on 15 April this year, the Defence Ministry had suggested to the ECP to consult the federal government for finalising a date for holding the LG elections in all the 42 cantonments.

The LG elections in the 42 cantonments were held on 12 December 2021. Legally, the four-year term of the elected representatives of any cantonment begins with their oath-taking.

Keeping in view that Kamra was the last cantonment to have completed its four-year LG term on 11 April this year, the LG elections in the cantonments are required to be held latest by 8 August this year, in accordance with Section 219(4) of the Elections Act, 2017.

This section provides that the ECP shall hold LG elections within 120 days of the expiry of the LGs’ term in a province, cantonment, or the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT).

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026