LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Wednesday directed the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to come up with a clear stance on the status and framework of upcoming ‘party-based’ local government elections in Punjab.

Justice Sultan Tanvir Ahmad was hearing petitions filed by Jamaat-i-Islami (JI), Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and others.

During the proceedings, JI emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman also appeared before the court. Advocate Azhar Siddique represented the PTI.

A Punjab government’s law officer assured the court that no political party would face discrimination in the local government elections.

Provincial govts unwilling to devolve powers, says JI chief

However, the judge raised questions about the electoral mechanism, particularly whether the elections for chairman and vice chairman would be held through a direct vote.

In response, the law officer argued that the elections for offices such as the Senate chairman and the speaker for assembly were also conducted indirectly, with elected representatives choosing their leaders.

The judge asked the law officer whether the previous local government law also provided for indirect elections of chairman and vice chairman.

The judge instructed the petitioners’ lawyers to submit a report showing a comparison between the previous and the latest law.

The judge also questioned whether local government elections in Sindh were held through direct voting.

JI emir Rehman informed the court that the LG polls in Sindh were conducted on a basis of direct voting. He said globally, LG elections were typically held through direct voting.

He criticised the proposed mechanism, saying if even union council-level elections were not conducted through a direct vote, serious questions would be raised about the nature of democracy.

He further objected to a reported provision of the law allowing candidates to join a political party after one month of the polls.

Justice Ahmad observed that the government had previously assured the court that local government elections would be held on a party basis.

However, he remarked that several questions under the new local government law still needed answers.

The judge maintained that all parties would be given a full opportunity to present their case.

The judge adjourned till April 20 with directions to the ECP’s counsel to seek instructions and assist the court on the point of ‘party based’ polls.

JI chief: Jamaat-i-Islami Pakistan emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman said that provincial governments are unwilling to devolve powers to the grassroots level and warned that the current local government framework in Punjab reflects a shift away from democratic norms.

Speaking to journalists on Wednesday outside the Lahore High Court after a hearing on the party’s petition against the Punjab local government law, he said the legislation had been formally challenged for being inconsistent with the Constitution.

He said that the provincial government was avoiding local body elections and attempting to introduce a system in which councillors would be elected on a non-party basis, depriving citizens of meaningful representation at the union council level.

“The proposed law restricts people from electing their representatives freely at the grassroots level,” he said, adding that the spirit of democracy was being undermined.

The JI chief further said that instead of strengthening democratic institutions, the provincial setup was concentrating authority at the top. “An impression of authoritarianism is emerging in Punjab as powers are not being transferred downward,” he remarked.

Criticising mainstream political parties, particularly the Pakistan Muslim League (N), he said they were not serious about holding local government elections, which has resulted in unresolved public issues at the community level. He added that such parties operated on familial lines and did not allow new leadership to emerge within their ranks.

Rehman said the court proceedings showed positive progress, noting that the bench had indicated the case should not face unnecessary delays, raising expectations of an early hearing.

He demanded that a new local government law be introduced to ensure genuine public representation and effective devolution of powers. “A transparent and empowered local government system is essential for strengthening democracy,” he added.

The JI emir also expressed concern over the ongoing electricity crisis, saying prolonged load-shedding had made life difficult for citizens. He noted that despite an installed generation capacity of around 49,000 megawatts, power outages continued for hours in various parts of the country.

He urged the government to take immediate and effective measures to address issues in the energy sector and provide relief to the public.

Published in Dawn, April 16th, 2026