ECP Pushes Provinces, Federal Govt To Expedite Local Elections Preparations
ECP Pushes Provinces, Federal Govt To Expedite Local Elections Preparations
Published October 05, 2026 | 05:20 PM
ISLAMABAD, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 5th Oct, 2026) The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Monday directed the federal and provincial governments to expedite legal and administrative measures for holding local government elections across Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Islamabad, and cantonments. It stressed the need to remove remaining hurdles to ensure timely polls.
Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja chaired a special meeting attended by ECP members Nisar Ahmed Durrani, Shah Muhammad Jatoi, and Justice (retired) Ikramullah, along with Secretary ECP and senior officials.
Punjab
The commission was briefed that Punjab is ready to conduct local government elections and has already sent a draft election schedule to the provincial government. The ECP requested lists of District Returning Officers, Returning Officers, and Assistant Returning Officers from Punjab to facilitate their appointment. It urged the provincial government to respond to the draft schedule at the earliest.
Islamabad Capital Territory
The commission was informed that delimitation for Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) had been completed. However, the ICT Amendment Ordinance 2026 had expired. The ECP decided to approach the federal government, highlighting that the relevant legislation had already been approved by the Senate Standing Committee and urging completion of the legislative process without delay. If the required legislation is not enacted, the ECP stated it will proceed with local government elections under the existing ICT Local Government Act, 2015.
Cantonments
Delimitation for all cantonments has been completed, and the ECP is ready to conduct elections there. However, as per the Cantonments Act, 2023, the federal government is required to request the ECP to hold elections in cantonments. Despite reminders and a letter from the Chief Election Commissioner to the Prime Minister, no progress has been made in forwarding this request. The ECP will send a final letter to the Ministry of Defence and take an appropriate decision regarding cantonment elections if no satisfactory response is received.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
The commission was informed that delimitation for 23 districts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) had been completed, and it was ongoing in seven others. The provincial government amended Section 6(5)(e) of the KP Local Government Act, 2023, increasing the population threshold for delimiting Village and Neighbourhood Councils from 5,000-15,000 to 30,000-40,000. The ECP observed that this revised threshold was inconsistent with the number of Village and Neighbourhood Councils specified in Schedule IX of the provi