ECP’s directive on LG polls in Capital: Failure to enact fresh legislation renders ICT delimitation exercise futile

ISLAMABAD: Failure to carry out fresh legislation, critical for the implementation of the directive issued by a five-member bench of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday (yesterday) to hold the local government polls in Islamabad on 20 December, has rendered the nearly three months long constituencies’ delimitation exercise in the federal capital futile.

The polls will now be held under the existing laws.

The five-member full ECP bench headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja issued an order citing relevant laws to direct the ECP Secretariat to immediately issue the LG elections programme for Islamabad Capital territory (ICT) in accordance with Islamabad Capital Territory Local Government Act, 2015.

Consequently, the ECP notified that nominations would be open for LG polls on 30 October, whereas polling would be held on 20th December.

On 21 July this year, the ECP started the delimitation of constituencies in order to hold ICT LG elections in accordance with Islamabad Capital Territory Local Government (Amendment) Ordinance, 2026 promulgated by the federal government on 10 January this year.

The delimitation drive was completed on 14 October.

The ordinance was subsequently extended for a period of 120 days with effect from 9 May, and finally expired on 6 September.

Thereafter, the government was required to have the Islamabad Capital Territory Local Government (Amendment) Bill 2026 passed by the two houses of Parliament, in order to give legal effect to the ordinance – a bill designed to introduce an LG system in Islamabad that would comprise three town corporations, each to be headed by a mayor and two deputy mayors.

Last month, the National Assembly’s interior panel passed this bill, but it has not been presented in the ongoing NA session so far.

An ECP source, requesting anonymity, told Business Recorder that the ECP would immediately cancel its election programme notified under the Islamabad Capital Territory Local Government act, 2015 if NA and Senate pass this bill in their respective ongoing sessions and issue new LG polls schedule under the Islamabad Capital Territory Local Government (Amendment) Bill 2026.

“Even if this bill is passed later—but earlier than the LG polls date, then the ECP would be required to cancel the elections programme and issue a new schedule accordingly,” the official said.

Previously, on 4 September 2024, the ECP notified to hold in abeyance the LG polls in Islamabad that were scheduled on 9 October 2024, following the passage of the new LG laws by Parliament then in the form of the Islamabad Capital Territory Local Government (Amendment) Act 2024, dated 30 August 2024.

The ECP has repeatedly stated that it is ready to hold the LG polls but the governments concerned fail to amend the related LG laws whenever the LG polls are scheduled that causes delay in these elections.

In a press release issued on 31 July this year, the ECP revealed that the federal government had refused to entertain an electoral body’s proposal to carry out parliamentary legislation in order to restrict the federal and provincial governments from amending the LG laws after the expiry of the respective local bodies’ terms in order to avoid delay in the LG polls.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026