The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) announced on Wednesday that the local government elections in Punjab will be held in the last week of December this year, ending a delay of almost four years, Aaj News reported on Wednesday.
The decision came after a four-member bench headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja announced its reserved verdict in a case concerning the prolonged postponement of Punjab’s local body polls. According to the ruling, the elections will be held under the 2022 Local Government Act.
The commission directed authorities to complete the delimitation of constituencies within two months, noting that the process was already underway.
During the proceedings, ECP Secretary Umar Hameed and other senior officials told the bench that despite repeated provincial delays, the commission had made “all-out efforts” to hold local government polls in Sindh, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and cantonment areas. They said the Punjab government had consistently obstructed the process, despite the constitutional requirement to conduct such elections.
It was noted that the tenure of local governments in Punjab expired on December 31, 2021, yet polls could not be held for nearly three years and nine months. In this period, the provincial government amended the local government law five times and is now pursuing a sixth amendment.
Officials said the ECP carried out delimitation exercises three times and even issued an election schedule once, but polls could still not take place. They maintained that the 2022 law remains in effect, enabling elections to be held either through ballot papers or, if available, electronic voting machines (EVMs).
The Director General (Law) said no legal obstacle existed to holding the polls under the 2022 rules, while the Special Secretary of the ECP estimated two to two-and-a-half months would be required to complete delimitations in Punjab. He stressed that the process must proceed without further delay, reminding that the Supreme Court had already warned of “serious consequences” for obstructing local body polls.
Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja observed that the delay of more than three years was “a matter of embarrassment” not only for the ECP but also for successive governments. He said administrations had shown little seriousness in fulfilling their constitutional obligations, adding that the commission was now compelled to take a firm decision.
“If any government does not wish to hold local government elections, it should amend the Constitution and declare that local governments are not needed,” Raja remarked. “But as long as the law exists, the Election Commission is bound to ensure its implementation.”
The Punjab government’s representative informed the bench that a new local government bill had been cleared by the standing committee on August 6, but its passage was delayed due to the flood situation and assembly breaks. The provincial government assured the ECP that the bill would be tabled in the next assembly session for approval.