ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) while regretting Punjab’s unwillingness to hold local bodies polls asked the provincial government on Wednesday to expedite the legislative process so that the commission could begin the delimitation process to hold the exercise.

A full bench of ECP, headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, issued these instructions during the hearing of a case related to conduct of local government elections in Punjab.

The CEC stressed that under articles 140-A(2) and 219(d) of the Constitution as well as Section 219 of the Elections Act, the commission was constitutionally mandated to conduct local government elections in both federal and provincial territories.

However, he lamented, no provincial government is ever prepared to hold the local elections. He pointed out that whenever the commission completes its preparations, provincial governments amend laws, forcing it to restart the entire election process.

No provincial govt is ever ready to hold local elections, CEC regrets; Punjab promises all-out support for the exercise

The ECP managed to successfully hold local government elections in three provinces and cantonments after significant efforts. The timely conduct of local government elections remains the responsibility of provincial governments, it emphasised.

The chief secretary of Punjab and the secretary of the local government department appeared before the ECP on behalf of the provincial government. The chief secretary said that the provincial government had begun working on the Local Government Act immediately after assuming power.

Stressing the importance of feedback from all stakeholders, he said that the final draft of the Local Government Act has been sent to the Punjab Assembly for legislation after receiving the feedback. As soon as the legislative process is completed, rules will be framed under the law, he added.

The officer said the government is fully prepared to provide all kinds of support to the commission for holding the elections in the province.

During the hearing, the ECP secretary revealed that successive Punjab governments had changed electoral laws for five times at various intervals. The ECP conducted delimitations for three times, updated electoral rolls twice, and also issued schedule for the LG elections, he added.

Despite these efforts, he said, the holding of LG elections in the province has not been possible. He emphasised the challenges faced due to frequent changes in laws and procedures, underscoring the need for stability to ensure timely elections.

Under Article 140-A and Section 219(4) of the Elections Act, the commission is bound to hold elections within 120 days of the expiry of the term of the local government ins­titutions. In April 2019, the then PTI-led Pun­jab government dissolved the local government institutions, which were later restored by the Supreme Court and subsequently completed their term on Dec 31, 2021.

That means the elections were supposed to take place some three years ago, but it could not be made possible as the provincial government kept on amending the LG law from time to time. The change of governments in the province made no difference and it is still unclear if the holding of local bodies elections would become a reality in near future.

Published in Dawn, February 27th, 2025