ISLAMABAD: Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja has warned Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister that they may face legal action if delayed local government elections in Punjab and Islamabad are not held soon.
The CEC presided over a five-member bench of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and expressed concern with the ongoing delay. He advocated for rapid action to finalise local government laws in both regions. Raja stated that the ECP will establish its own election schedule at the next hearing, regardless of Punjab’s participation.
He claimed that failing to act would humiliate the government. He stated that the Commission would not sit by while constitutional deadlines passed. Raja reminded the panel that he had personally been before the Supreme Court to emphasise the importance of holding municipal elections. He criticised the provincial government for failing to pass the necessary laws for more than five years, in contrast to the other provinces and cantonments that had already had elections.
Punjab Minister Acknowledges Delay, ECP Cites Legal Violations
Punjab’s Minister for Local Government informed the ECP that the draft election regulations were ready for scrutiny by the standing committee. He added the Punjab Assembly Speaker has also been requested to expedite the legislative process.
ECP Secretary Omar Hamid Khan provided updates to the panel. He claimed that both the Punjab and federal governments have shown little interest in completing their election responsibilities. He added that Punjab delayed elections for more than three years, despite the fact that the previous local governments’ terms ended on December 31, 2021. Since 2019, Punjab has modified its local government law five times and is currently working on a sixth amendment.
One ECP member enquired about who could provide a concrete commitment to hold elections. The session concluded without establishing a new date for the next hearing.
Section 219(4) of the Elections Act mandates the ECP to hold elections within 120 days of a local government’s term ending. In April 2019, the PTI-led Punjab government disbanded local bodies. Despite the fact that the Supreme Court reinstated them subsequently, their tenure expired on December 31, 2021, putting the election deadline in April 2022. In Islamabad, the last local government expired on February 14, 2021, necessitating elections by June 2021. Neither region has had elections since.
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