ECP halts delimitation process in Rawalpindi

Electoral watchdog’s unexpected move puts local government elections in jeopardy

RAWALPINDI:

The regional election commission and revenue department have suspended the ongoing delimitation process for new constituencies within the Rawalpindi district councils, tehsil councils, and union councils across all six districts of the Rawalpindi Division.

This unexpected decision has cast doubt on the potential for local body elections to be held across Punjab.

District administration sources revealed to The Express Tribune that the suspension of the delimitation process is due to an imminent change in the local government system in Punjab. The government intends to introduce a new system, necessitating amendments to the Local Government Act of 2013 and effectively repealing the 2022 Act established by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government.

As a consequence, the creation of new constituencies for all six districts in the Rawalpindi Division— Rawalpindi, Attock, Jhelum, Chakwal, Talagang, and Murree—has been halted. This includes the new constituencies of Murree District Council, the Rawalpindi Metropolitan Corporation, and all six municipal committees and union councils. The formation of these constituencies will remain on hold until the provincial assembly passes the new local government system.

The boundaries for the district councils, tehsil councils, town committees, municipal corporations, and municipal committees have yet to be finalised, and new schedules for the constituencies will be issued once the population criteria for the union councils are determined.

Only then will the process of establishing new constituencies at the union council level commence.

Jamaat-e-Islami Rawalpindi Deputy Amir Raza Ahmad Shah has criticised the decision to suspend the delimitation process, labelling it an attempt to avoid local body election elections. Shah argued that Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) has recognised its dwindling popularity and its unlikelihood of winning mayorships or chairmanships in any city, hence the delay strategy.

Iftikhar Chaudhry, Senior Vice President of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), stressed the importance of forming local government under the new local government system. He criticised the existing mismatched system, suggesting it is inappropriate. Shehryar Riaz, a National Assembly candidate from PTI, has also spoken against the decision, asserting that the people have rejected both PML-N and PPP. Riaz contended that halting the delimitation work is a tactic to avoid local elections and demands that municipal elections in Punjab be held immediately following the completion of the new constituencies.