All possible efforts taken for holding LG polls in ICT: ECP
ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has said that it has made all possible efforts for the timely conduct of local government elections in the federal capital, noting that the present government is not providing adequate assistance to the electoral body in this regard.
“The Commission has made all possible efforts for timely conduct of local government elections in the ICT. However, lack of timely response and cooperation from the relevant authorities has caused delay in the fulfilment of the constitutional and statutory mandate of the ECP,” reads the written order, issued Wednesday, regarding delay in the conduct of LG elections in the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT).
“It is also observed by the Commission that the present government set-up is not providing proper assistance to the Commission, and consequently, the matter has been fixed for hearing,” read the order, issued by the five-member full ECP bench, headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja.
A day earlier, the ECP bench, Tuesday, heard the related case regarding delay in the holding of LG elections in the ICT.
During the proceedings, Secretary Interior Khurram Agha tendered an unconditional apology to the electoral body over non-compliance with its instructions regarding the conduct of LG polls in the federal capital.
The bench accepted the apology and withdrew the contempt notice previously issued to the secretary.
The secretary interior informed the bench that Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi was not feeling well, and was; therefore, unable to appear before the bench. The ECP bench granted Naqvi exemption from physical appearance.
Last week, the ECP issued notices to the interior minister, the secretary interior, and the chief commissioner Islamabad to appear for Tuesday’s hearing.
In an indication that the conduct of LG elections in Islamabad would remain marked with uncertainty, the ECP bench, Tuesday, formed a committee on holding the said polls, but did not specify any timeline for the committee to conclude the tasks assigned to it.
In the light of the bench’s decision, the ECP notified a five-member committee headed by Chief Commissioner Islamabad Muhammad Ali Randhawa as its Convenor. The committee comprises ECP’s Special Secretary (Policy) Zafar Iqbal Hussain, Additional Director General (LG Elections) Nadeem Qasim and Deputy Commissioner Islamabad Irfan Nawaz Memon. The committee will have a member to be nominated by the chief commissioner Islamabad.
The committee is mandated to deliberate, finalise and submit for approval to the Interior Ministry the notification of demarcation of town corporations in the ICT, the notification of the number of union councils in each town corporation, besides meeting other related requirements.
The convenor of the committee is mandated to ensure convening the meetings of the committee on weekly basis “till the time all issues relating to the conduct of local government elections in ICT are resolved,” as per the notification.
In Wednesday’s written order, the ECP bench directed its office to re-fix the matter for hearing after the Eid holidays “if the issues are not resolved by the said committee.”
The term of local bodies in Islamabad expired on 14 February 2021.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026