ECP orders immediate local body polls in KP districts demarcated, sans those under ARDC

On Wednesday, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) mandated the immediate holding of local government (LG) elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) districts where delimitation had been completed, while excluding 12 districts designated with special emergency measures. Earlier, the ECP had postponed the decision after hearing the provincial government’s plea to delay the LG elections, citing concerns over law and order, emergency imposition, and troop deployment under Article 245.

On October 11, the federal government declared an emergency in KP and placed the province under governor’s rule, citing the provincial government’s alleged disengagement from counter-terrorism efforts. The ECP directed its office to submit the election program for approval in districts with completed delimitation, while bypassing the 12 districts with intense security concerns and the Area Representative and Development Council (ARDC) overseeing them.

The ECP also sought delimitation schedules for the remaining districts, excluding Bannu, Mohmand, Orakzai, Lakki Marwat, and North Waziristan, which were specified in the federal government’s October 11 order. The ECP’s directives were issued under various constitutional articles and the Elections Act 2017, including Sections 219 and 221, and aimed to ensure the timely conduct of LG elections and delimitation in the designated districts.