Islamabad, KP: ECP summons officials over delay in LG polls

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has decided to summon senior administration officials assigned to the federal capital and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including the latter’s chief secretary, over non-compliance with the electoral body’s directions related to local government polls.

In this context, the ECP on Tuesday held a meeting headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja that reviewed progress on holding LG elections in the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), KP and Punjab.

The meeting decided to summon the chief secretary and the LG secretary KP in “personal capacity” on the coming 1st July over non-provision of data by them to the Commission regarding 15 KP districts for holding the LG elections.

The meeting also decided to fix the case regarding KP LG polls on the aforementioned date.

The LG polls in KP were held phase-wise. In the first phase, the LG elections were held in 17 KP districts — Peshawar, Buner, Bajaur, Mardan, Swabi, Nowshera, Kohat, Karak, Dera Ismail Khan, Bannu, Tank, Haripur, Khyber, Mohmand, Charsadda, Hangu and Lakki Marwat — on 19th December 2021. The LG representatives in these districts took oath on 15th March 2022. Their four-year term expired on 15th March 2026.

In the second phase, the LG polls were held in the remaining 18 districts of KP — Swat, Upper Dir, Lower Dir, Upper Chitral, Lower Chitral, Shangla, Malakand, Kurram, Orakzai, Abbottabad, Battagram, Kolai Pallas, Mansehra, Torghar, Upper Kohistan, Lower Kohistan, North Waziristan and South Waziristan — on 31st March 2022.

Of these districts, the LG representatives of all the districts, barring Mansehra, took oath on 20th June 2022. Their four-year term ended on 20th June. The LG representatives in Mansehra took oath on 28th June 2022, which implies that their respective four-year term would end on the coming 28th June.

The ECP, in Tuesday’s meeting, also decided to summon on 1st July the chief commissioner and the deputy commissioner Islamabad over non-provision of the required data for holding LG elections in the ICT. The case related to prolonged delay in holding LG elections in the ICT was also fixed for hearing on 1st July.

In addition, the poll body decided to issue the LG polls schedule for Punjab after the completion of the ongoing delimitation drive in the province, scheduled to complete on the coming 10th August.

The local bodies’ term in the ICT expired on 14th February 2021, and in Punjab on 31st December 2021.

The electoral body is bound to hold LG elections within 120 days of the expiry of the relevant local bodies’ term, under Section 219(4) of the Elections Act, 2017.

This law provides that the ECP shall hold LG elections within 120 days of the expiry of the LGs’ term in a province, cantonment, or the ICT.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026