ECP Summons Islamabad Officials Over Delayed LG Polls
The Election Commission of Pakistan has expressed serious concern over the prolonged delay in Islamabad’s local government elections and has summoned the capital’s chief commissioner and deputy commissioner to appear before it on July 7.
The development came during a hearing in Islamabad on Wednesday, where a four-member ECP bench headed by Sindh member Nisar Ahmed Durrani reviewed why the federal capital has remained without elected local representatives since the previous local government completed its term in February 2021.
According to the commission’s order, the process has been delayed for several reasons, including what it described as the federal government’s failure to provide the necessary assistance required under the Constitution and election laws. The ECP said the absence of timely data and notifications had prevented it from moving ahead with the polls.
The Islamabad deputy commissioner, Irfan Nawaz Memon, informed the commission that the district administration had provided proposed maps needed for the election process. However, the ECP noted that key approvals were still pending because the matter relating to the number of union councils had reportedly been sent to the Prime Minister’s Office for cabinet approval.
In its written order, the commission observed that the Islamabad local government election had been “sufficiently delayed” and reminded authorities that holding local polls is a constitutional duty. It referred to Article 140-A and Article 219 of the Constitution, as well as the Elections Act, 2017, which require local government elections to be conducted within a fixed time after the expiry of a previous local body’s term.
The ECP directed its secretary to approach the adviser to the prime minister so that the required notifications regarding town corporation limits and union council numbers could be approved without further delay. It also ordered ICT Chief Commissioner retired Lt Sohail Ashraf and Deputy Commissioner Memon to attend the next hearing in person.
The commission listed several missing requirements, including formal notifications defining the boundaries of town corporations, authenticated maps in hard and soft form, the number of union councils in each town corporation and legal amendments linked to the Islamabad Capital Territory local government framework.
The issue has remained politically sensitive because elected local bodies are meant to provide residents with representation on neighbourhood-level matters such as sanitation, roads, water supply, community services and municipal planning. Without polls, Islamabad’s civic governance has largely remained dependent on administrative decisions instead of elected local accountability.
The delay also reflects a wider national pattern in which local government elections are frequently pushed back through legal, administrative or political complications. While provincial and national elections receive more attention, local governments are often the first point of contact between citizens and the state, making prolonged gaps damaging for public trust.
The next hearing on July 7 will determine whether the federal administration can satisfy the commission that the remaining notifications and legal requirements are close to completion. If the ECP does not receive firm progress, the matter could intensify pressure on the Centre to clear the way for long-awaited local elections in the capital.