Uncertain local governments

The ongoing battle between Pakistan's Election Commission (ECP) and provincial/federal governments has been a persistent issue in the country's electoral landscape since 2010, when local government elections were assigned to the ECP under the 18th Amendment. The Election Commission is currently locked in a four-way struggle, opposing the provincial governments of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the federal government, and cantonment boards for local government elections in the provinces of Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), and cantonment boards.

The situation is particularly disappointing in the ICT, where the last LG election took place in November 2015, and its five-year term expired on February 14, 2021. The Election Commission and the federal government have been negotiating on legal aspects and the possible date for the next election, with the ECP issuing the election schedule four times and conducting delimitation five times since 2021.

Each time, they have had to retract the schedule after the federal government altered the terms of the LG election law. The latest amendment, the ICT Local Government (Amendment) Ordinance, 2026, promulgated on January 10, 2026, significantly changed the capital's LG system, but it lapsed in September 2026. Despite the parliament attempting to convert the ordinance into a law, the ECP maintains that the old 2015 ICTLGA is now valid, and has issued a new polling schedule for December 20.

However, if the National Assembly does not amend the law or if the elections are postponed again, the ECP will have to start from scratch. A similar situation exists in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where the LG terms expired on June 19, 2026, and new elections should have been held by October 20, but the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Local Government (Amendment) Act, 2026, changed the size of village and neighborhood councils.

The ECP objected to the amendment and asked for a review, while preparations for the LG polls continue, barring 12 districts with high law and order issues. In Punjab, the ECP and the provincial government have completed all formalities for the LG election, originally scheduled for May 2022 but repeatedly postponed due to various reasons.

The ECP rejected a new date set by the Punjab government due to dense fog and school exams, and has yet to issue an election schedule. The election for the 43 cantonment boards was supposed to be held on August 8, but the ECP is waiting for the federal government's request, which has not been received. These recurring challenges lead to the conclusion that both federal and provincial governments are reluctant to hold LG elections, with the key problem being that the governments write the LG laws, leaving the ECP to enforce them.

The solution seems to be amending the Elections Act, 2017, to prevent any amendments to LG laws after the term's expiry, allowing the ECP to prepare and conduct timely elections without interruptions. The potential creation of new provinces and the announcement of possible provincial status for ICT add another layer of uncertainty to the future of local governments in Pakistan.