The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has announced that local government elections in Punjab will be held in the final week of December, following its reserved verdict on petitions related to delays in the electoral process.
According to the decision, the elections will be conducted under the Local Government Act 2022. The verdict, issued by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja and members Nisar Durrani, Shah Muhammad Jatoi, and Babar Hassan Bharwana, also directed that the delimitation process across Punjab begin immediately.
During the hearing, the commission was informed that amendments to Punjab’s local government laws have been made five times already, with a sixth amendment currently under consideration. However, the ECP maintained that elections can still be held under the 2022 law.
The commission further observed that the Punjab government’s approach has been delaying and inconsistent with its constitutional obligations. Despite that, the elections will proceed under the existing legislation to ensure the continuity of local governance.
It is worth noting that a few days earlier, the Lahore High Court, acting on a petition filed by Jamaat-e-Islami, had summoned the Advocate General and the Chief Secretary of Punjab over the delay in holding local government elections.
