Islamabad: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) decided on Wednesday to hold Punjab's long-delayed local government (LG) elections in December's last week and that the process of delimitation would initiate from tomorrow to be completed within two months.
The order was issued by a four-member ECP bench comprising Chairman Sikandar Sultan Raja, Nisar Ahmed Durrani, Shah Muhammad Jatoi and Babar Hassan Bharwana.
It stated that the election regulator had 'decided to hold the local government elections in the province of Punjab on the basis of the existing local government law, i.e. the Punjab Local Government Act 2022 and Rules framed thereunder'.
The bench ordered the ECP office to initiate the process of delimitation from tomorrow (October 9) and complete it within two months.
'Thereafter, the election programme should be announced and the election should be held in the last week of December 2025. The office is expected to follow the timelines strictly,' the order said.
It referred to another one released after a June hearing held by the ECP on the matter, which stated that the ECP had accepted the Punjab government's request for three months' time for the completion of various activities pertaining to the election 'in the interest of justice'.
'In case of failure, the commission will issue appropriate orders regarding the conduct of local government elections in the province of Punjab,' the June order had said.
Referring to it, order stated that having received no response from the Punjab government after a period of three months, the ECP again fixed the matter for a hearing on Wednesday and issued a notice to the local government secretary.
It said it the local government secretary appeared in person and said that the process of legislation for the Punjab Local Government Act was under the process of completion after being delayed by the floods. He added that the standing committee had finalised the process and the bill would be laid down in the Punjab Assembly for passage, requesting that some time be granted till the assembly session was convened.
The ECP said it had 'exhausted all possible efforts'' for the conducting of the Punjab local government elections in Punjab, but the provincial administration 'acted in a dilatory manner to delay the conduct' of polls each time on one or the other pretext.
The bench added that it was the ECP's constitutional obligation to organise and conduct elections in accordance with the Constitution and law, which entrusted it with 'exclusive, broad and extensive powers to fulfil its constitutional responsibilities''.
At the same time, it pointed out that it was also the constitutional responsibility of the provincial governments to ensure the establishment of a local government system in accordance with the Constitution and the law.
"The ECP will hold local body elections in Punjab under the 2022 law," the bench ruled.
The chief election commissioner expressed displeasure over the delay in the local government elections in Punjab, terming it an "embarrassment" for both the ECP and successive governments in the province.
'The local government elections have not been held in the country's biggest province. It is not only an embarrassment for the election commission [ECP] but also for various governments [ruled during the delay],' CEC Sikandar Sultan Raja remarked. 'All the governments that came into power did not want these elections to be held,' he added.
The chief election commissioner remarked that the time had come for the ECP to exercise its constitutional authority and take a decisive step.
CEC Raja also referred to a recent statement by a Punjab government minister, saying, 'A minister said yesterday that Punjab and Islamabad are ready, but the ECP is delaying the process. They [Punjab ministers] themselves are delaying and blaming the ECP.'
In its judgment, the ECP maintained that the term of local governments in Punjab expired in December 2021, yet elections have not been conducted since.
The judgment read that Punjab government amended the local government laws five times in recent years. The ECP ruled that two separate local government laws were introduced in May 2019, followed by another amendment through an ordinance issued in December 2021.
According to the judgment, another new law was passed on June 24, 2022, and yet another on November 16, 2022. The ECP ruled that it had initiated the delimitation process in June 2020, but it was suspended at the request of the Punjab government.
The judgment read that a subsequent delimitation exercise was carried out between December 2021 and March 2022, followed by another round between 2022 and February 2023.
The ECP added that it had released the schedule for delimitation in June 2024, which was again withdrawn at the request of the Punjab government.