ECP to issue schedule of LG polls despite Punjab’s reluctance
ISLAMABAD: Less than two months after expressing its willingness to hold local government elections in Punjab on the dates falling between the coming 15 December and 15 January, the provincial government has declined to hold these elections in Pakistan’s largest before April next year, it has emerged. Rejecting this decision, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has decided to issue…
Islamabad has learned that despite initially agreeing to hold local government elections in Punjab between December 15 and January 15, the provincial government has now refused to hold these elections before April of the following year. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has decided to issue the schedule for Punjab's local government elections immediately, following the district commissioner's rejection of the provincial government's decision.
The ECP also plans to issue LG polls schedules for all 42 cantonments across the country, stating that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the Defense Ministry failed to take the required steps to arrange the elections in these areas. The Punjab government cited heavy fog and extremely cold weather conditions during December and January as the reason for their reluctance to hold the elections during these months.
Additionally, the holy month of Ramadan, which would begin in February and end in March, was another reason cited by the provincial government for delaying the LG polls. The ECP rejected the provincial government's stance as "unsatisfactory" and directed relevant officials to ensure compliance with this decision.
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