ECP Orders Islamabad Local Government Elections Under 2015 Law, Directs Immediate Schedule
ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has ordered local government elections in the federal capital under the Islamabad Local Government Act, 2015, directing the relevant authorities to issue the election schedule immediately.
The decision was announced during a hearing chaired by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, who expressed strong displeasure over repeated delays in holding local government elections in Islamabad.
A five-member ECP bench heard the case, with the interior secretary and senior election officials appearing before the commission.
During the hearing, Special Secretary ECP Zafar Iqbal Malik informed the commission that delimitation had been carried out six times in Islamabad, while the election schedule had been announced on four occasions. He said the most recent election programme had been issued on October 9, 2026, with polling scheduled for February 2026, according to the briefing.
The commission was also informed that the legal validity of a presidential order issued by the government had expired on September 6, while the final delimitations had been published on October 14. The ECP had sent two reminder letters to the Ministry of Interior regarding the expiry of the presidential order.
Malik told the commission that the rules governing Islamabad’s local government system had not yet been provided and that the Ministry of Law had declined to approve them. He added that the federal government had not passed a new local government law, but the existing 2015 legislation remained available as a legal basis for holding elections.
During the proceedings, the interior secretary acknowledged the facts presented by the ECP but argued that conducting elections under the 2015 law would require the cancellation of legal proceedings already completed.
Rejecting this concern, Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja observed that holding elections under the 2015 law would not affect the validity of the delimitation process.
Expressing frustration over the government’s lack of progress, the chief election commissioner said the interior minister, interior secretary, chief commissioner and ministerial committee had repeatedly given assurances about holding the elections, but no meaningful action had followed.
He remarked that the situation gave the impression that the federal government did not want local government elections to take place in Islamabad.
The chief election commissioner emphasised that holding local government elections was a constitutional obligation and said the commission was being compelled to issue orders to ensure the process moved forward.
At the conclusion of the hearing, the ECP announced a short order directing that Islamabad’s local government elections be conducted under the 2015 law and instructed the authorities to issue the election schedule on the same day.
The order marks a significant development in efforts to end the prolonged delay in local government elections in the federal capital.
