ECP says ready to hold LG polls in ICT
ISLAMABAD: Three days after the respective sessions of both the House of the Parliament prorogued without taking up the legislation required to hold the local government elections in the federal capital under the new laws, the electoral body on Monday, announced to have procured “all the material” required for LG polls in Islamabad — as the poll body proceeds ahead with its plan to hold these…
Three days after both houses of Pakistan's Parliament adjourned without addressing the necessary legislation for local government elections in Islamabad, the country's electoral body announced on Monday that it has obtained all necessary materials for conducting these elections. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) declared its readiness to hold the local government elections in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) and stated that pertinent arrangements have been made for printing ballot papers for the polls.
Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja was informed by ECP officials about the progress in preparations for the ICT elections. A meeting has been scheduled on November 10th, where the Secretary of Interior, the Chief Commissioner of Islamabad, and the Inspector General of Islamabad Police will provide updates on security arrangements and related matters concerning the LG elections.
On Friday, the sessions of the Senate and National Assembly concluded without debating the Islamabad Capital Territory Local Government (Amendment) Bill, 2026. The ECP began delimiting constituencies for the ICT LG elections on July 21st, based on the Islamabad Capital Territory Local Government (Amendment) Ordinance, 2026 issued by the federal government on January 10th.
The delimitation process concluded on October 14th, but the ordinance expired on September 6th after its 120-day extension. Following this, lawmakers were obligated to pass the Islamabad Capital Territory Local Government (Amendment) Bill 2026 to give legal force to the ordinance. The bill aimed to establish a three-town corporation system in Islamabad, each led by a mayor and two deputy mayors.
In September, the National Assembly's interior panel approved the bill, but it was not introduced in the subsequent NA session. Recently, a five-member ECP bench led by the Chief Election Commissioner issued an order directing the ECP Secretariat to immediately publish the LG elections program for Islamabad in accordance with the Islamabad Capital Territory Local Government Act, 2015.
Consequently, the ECP opened nominations for the LG polls on October 30th, with voting scheduled for December 20th. However, the comprehensive delimitation of constituencies in Islamabad turned out to be futile, as the nearly three-month-long exercise concluded with the ordinance's expiration.
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