Election Body Ready For Punjab LG Polls, Flags KP Hurdles

The Election Commission of Pakistan said on Monday that it was prepared to conduct local government elections in Punjab, while pointing to legal and administrative complications that continue to delay polls in Islamabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Quetta and cantonment areas.

The position was shared after a special meeting chaired by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja to review local government election preparations across the provinces, the federal capital and cantonments. Officials briefed the commission on province-wise progress and the issues still blocking election schedules in several jurisdictions.

For Punjab, the commission was informed that preparations had reached a stage where local government polls could be held. A draft election schedule has already been sent to the provincial government, while the province has also been asked to provide lists for appointing district returning officers, returning officers and assistant returning officers.

The commission asked the Punjab government to respond to the draft schedule without delay so that appointments and the next procedural steps can move forward. It also said preparations had begun in Sindh for timely local body elections, with instructions issued to the relevant office to take necessary measures.

In Islamabad, delimitation has been completed, but the legal position remains unsettled because the Islamabad Capital Territory Amendment Ordinance 2026 has lapsed. The commission noted that a National Assembly standing committee had approved legislation in line with the ordinance and decided to approach the federal government for urgent completion of the legislative process.

If the legislation is not completed, the commission said it would proceed under the existing Islamabad Capital Territory Local Government Act 2015. That warning indicates the body may move ahead with the available legal framework rather than allow the capital’s local government process to remain stalled indefinitely.

Cantonment board elections also remain stuck despite completed delimitation. Under the amended Cantonments Act, the federal government must formally request the commission to conduct the polls. The commission said no such request had been received despite reminders and a letter from the chief election commissioner to the prime minister.

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the commission said delimitation had been completed in 23 districts and was underway in seven others when the provincial government amended the local government law. The amendment changed the population threshold for village and neighbourhood councils, creating a mismatch with the number of councils listed in the law’s schedule and making delimitation unworkable.

The commission said the provincial government had been asked to amend the number of councils, but no action had been taken so far. The matter is now under hearing before the commission, which said it would take an appropriate decision. For Quetta, the commission noted delays linked to district changes and missing boundary details from the Balochistan government, whose response it described as slow.