Number of UCs slashed by half in capital

The number of union councils (UCs) in the federal capital, Islamabad, has been reduced from 100 to 50 by restoring the old local government system while candidates have filed 29 objections against the new delimitation.

Regional Election Commissioner Rawalpindi Aleem Shahab as the delimitation authority after hearing the objections, reserved the verdict a day earlier which will be announced on May 15. With this decision, a list of 50 constituencies will be sent to the District Election Commissioner Islamabad and the District Election Commissioner will announce the new delimitation of these 50 union councils on May 20. This will pave the way for local body elections in Islamabad.

The Regional Election Commissioner Rawalpindi had received the highest number of objections from Bari Imam, Bhara Kahu, Sihala, Tarnol, Tarlai, Sang Jani, Tamir, Golra and Farash Town. Candidates had objected to the inclusion of various blocks in other union councils. With the help of maps, 12 objections have been found to be correct while the rest of the objections were rejected, sources said.

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Islamabad had 50 union councils. However, the PTI government amended the Local Government Act 2015 to increase the number to 100 while reducing the areas of the union councils. However, the ordinance was declared null and void by the Islamabad High Court and delimitation was ordered afresh under which 50 union councils have been formed with minor changes and the old name of neighborhood council/ union council has been restored.

Earlier in March, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) had annulled the Islamabad Local Governance Ordinance 2021.

IHC Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, on petitions filed by former Union Council chairman Sardar Mehtab, the Capital Development Authority trade union and CDA Officers’ Association, had ordered the authorities concerned to hold local bodies elections under the Local Government Act 2015. The ordinance, which had been promulgated by President Arif Alvi, was challenged in court through various petitions.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 12^th, 2022.