Chief Election Commissioner Warns of Contempt Notices and Daily Hearings as Delimitation Delays Paralyze Local Elections
Election Commission of Pakistan building in Islamabad. Photo: Radio Pakistan
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan’s Election Commission on Thursday summoned Home Minister Mohsin Naqvi over delays in holding local government elections in Islamabad, while issuing a contempt notice to the home secretary for failing to appear before the commission.
A five-member bench headed by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja heard the case. Islamabad Chief Commissioner Ali Randhawa appeared before the commission, but the Home Secretary did not attend the hearing.
“Where is the Secretary of the Interior?” the CEC asked during the proceedings, ordering that the interior minister be summoned personally if the secretary remained absent.
“If the secretary does not come, we will summon the home minister in his personal capacity,” Raja said, adding that the minister would have to appear at the next hearing.
Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) officials told the court that a letter had been sent to the Ministry of Home Affairs, but no response had been received. They also complained that the Secretary of the Interior was not cooperating with the commission.
Upon becoming aware of the absence, the CEC ordered the issuance of a contempt notice to the Secretary of the Interior.
The officials informed the court that a demarcation notification, the official map of Islamabad and the number of members of the union council were required before the delimitation process could begin.
Raja commented that the Islamabad Capital Territory Administration seemed to be taking the matter lightly.
“These elections are the direct responsibility of the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT),” he said, adding that three federal ministers had previously appeared before the commission and assured it that the issue would be resolved.
“Do not force us to take strict measures,” the CEC warned, ordering authorities to provide a clear timeline. The Islamabad chief commissioner was asked to present the progress on the matter in the next hearing.
The case was adjourned until next Tuesday.
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LG Punjab Polls
The commission also heard a separate matter regarding delays in local government elections in Punjab.
Punjab chief secretary and local government secretary appeared before the commission during the proceedings.
The ECP special secretary informed the court that the commission had earlier constituted a committee and held several meetings on the issue.
He said the commission already had the Punjab Local Government Act and delimitation framework, but the provincial government still needed to provide local government election rules and demarcation maps.
“We need the maps to start the delimitation process,” Raja said, asking if the exercise could begin immediately.
The Punjab local government secretary told the commission that deputy commissioners had been directed to provide the required maps within two to three days.
“Within a week, the deputy commissioners will hand over the maps to the district election commissioners,” he said.
ECP officials said the delimitation process would take around two months once the maps were received.
A commission member asked if a new election date would be announced once the two-month exercise was over.
The CEC gave Punjab a final deadline of one week and directed all deputy commissioners to provide the maps by March 12.
“If maps are not provided, the commission will hold a formal hearing,” Raja said.
He added that deputy commissioners from each division would be convened and the commission would hold daily hearings if the required maps were not submitted.
“If the maps are provided, the process will move forward, otherwise we will set another date for the hearing,” the CCA said.
History of delays
The ECP has been hearing the issue of delay in the local government elections in Islamabad for several months and has repeatedly sought the cooperation of the federal government and the Islamabad administration to complete the legal and administrative requirements for the elections.
According to the Islamabad Local Government Act 2015, as amended in 2024, the capital’s municipal governance framework outlines the structure of local bodies, including union councils, representation quotas and administrative powers of elected representatives. However, officials told the commission that further amendments are required in Section 15 of the law to facilitate the electoral process.
During an earlier meeting, the ECP directed the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Islamabad administration to finalize the proposed amendments in consultation with the commission under section 219(3) of the Election Act, 2017, which empowers the commission to ensure that elections are organized and conducted in accordance with law.
The commission had fixed November 13 for a hearing on the Islamabad local government elections and issued notices to the home secretary and Islamabad chief commissioner to deliberate on the proposed legal changes.
The officials informed the commission that they had already written to the Ministry of Interior, urging it to make the necessary amendments to ensure smooth implementation of the law.
According to the ECP, the last correspondence received from the Ministry of the Interior on the subject dates from October 23, 2025.
The home minister was summoned after the home secretary failed to appear before the committee and amid concerns that legislative amendments and required administrative steps (including delimitation and issuance of demarcation notifications) were yet to be completed, delaying the electoral process in the federal capital.
Furthermore, the issue of delay in local government elections in Punjab has been under scrutiny for months. In December, the provincial government informed the Lahore High Court that the upcoming elections would be held on party lines under section 68 of the Punjab Local Government Act, 2025, during hearings on a petition filed by Jamaat-e-Islami challenging the law and seeking confirmation that the elections would be held on party lines.
Justice Sultan Tanveer Ahmed observed that the proceedings could not proceed without a response from the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and adjourned the hearing.
In January, the ECP took strict note of the provincial government’s failure to comply with the legal and administrative requirements for the elections despite earlier assurances.
The commission summoned Punjab chief secretary and local government secretary, noting that provincial authorities were yet to provide delimitation rules and notifications to union councils, key prerequisites for launching the electoral process.
