CEC writes to PM on LG polls in cantonments, but no headway made
ISLAMABAD: Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja has written a letter to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has sent reminders to the federal government, regarding the conduct of local government elections in all the 42 cantonments across Pakistan, but there has been no headway in this regard.
This was revealed in an ECP meeting chaired by the CEC to review progress on holding LG polls in the cantonments as well as Punjab and Islamabad.
The meeting was informed that the ECP has completed the delimitation of wards for holding LG elections in the cantonments, and that the electoral body is ready to hold LG elections in all the cantonments located across the country.
An ECP statement issued after this meeting stated that despite reminders from the ECP, and a letter from the CEC to the PM, there was no progress on part of the government to fulfil a key electoral requirement – to formally send a written request to the electoral body to hold LG polls in the cantonments.
“In this regard, the election commission has decided that one final letter would be written to the Defence Ministry. If no satisfactory reply is received, then the Election Commission would take an appropriate decision regarding the conduct of local government elections in the cantonments,” the statement said.
The Section 19-D(2) of the Cantonments (Amendment) Act, 2023 reads that the ECP shall, on receipt of a request in writing from the federal government, issue a programme for the conduct of LG elections in the cantonments and shall fix the dates for filing of nomination papers, scrutiny, allotment of symbols and other relevant steps.
The LG elections in the 42 cantonments were held on December 12, 2021. Legally, the four-year term of the elected representatives of any cantonment begins with their oath-taking.
The Section 219(4) of the Elections Act, 2017 provides that the ECP shall hold LG elections within 120 days of the expiry of the LGs’ term in a province, cantonment, or Islamabad.
Meanwhile, the ECP meeting on Monday was informed that the electoral body was ready to hold LG polls in Punjab, and that the ECP has sought lists of officers for performing duties as district returning officers, returning officers and assistant returning officers during these polls.
The ECP meeting also decided to approach the federal government for parliamentary legislation of the Islamabad Capital Territory Local Government (Amendment) Ordinance, 2026 in order to hold LG polls in the federal capital under this law.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026