ISLAMABAD:
In a major development, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has ordered that local body elections in Punjab be held in the last week of December 2025, as per the provisions of the Local Government Act, 2022.
A four-member bench of the Election Commission – headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja and comprising Nisar Ahmed Durrani, Shah Muhammad Jatoi and Babar Hassan Bharwana – issued the directive after hearing the long-pending case regarding the delay in Punjab’s local body elections.
The special secretary for local government of the Punjab government appeared before the five-member ECP.
According to the commission’s directive, the delimitation process in Punjab will begin on Thursday and is expected to be completed within two months, paving the way for local elections by the end of the year.
During the proceedings, CEC Sikandar Sultan Raja expressed his displeasure over the criticism leveled at the Election Commission over the delay in holding the LG elections and said, “It is embarrassing for us that elections have not yet been held in Islamabad and Punjab.
Earlier, the ECP had reserved its verdict in the Punjab local body elections case, with the CEC promising to announce it later the same day on Wednesday.
ECP officials said the term of local bodies in Punjab ended on December 31, 2021, with no elections having been held for over three years. During this period, the provincial government has made five amendments to the Local Government Act, with a sixth in progress.
Despite three phases of delimitation and an officially declared timetable, local elections have not yet taken place. Officials said the Local Government Act, 2022 remains in force, allowing elections to be held through EVMs or ballot papers.
DG Law confirmed no legal hurdles to holding elections under 2022 rules. ECP special secretary said delimitation in Punjab would take two to two-and-a-half months and must begin immediately, warning that the Supreme Court has warned of further delays.
The Punjab government said its standing committee approved the new local government law on August 6, but floods and the absence of an assembly session delayed its passage. The bill will be tabled in the next session.
