Punjab govt pledges LG polls in 3-4 months

The Punjab government on Monday announced plans to hold local government elections within three to four months, as the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) withdrew its existing schedule last week following the passage of the Punjab Local Government Act 2025 - a move that has once again cast uncertainty over the province's grassroots democracy.

Speaking to reporters at the Civil Secretariat, Provincial Minister for Local Government Zeeshan Rafique said the administration was "fully prepared" to conduct the polls once the ECP completes its work on new delimitations.

"The Election Commission has been informed in writing about the demarcation of union councils and constituencies. As soon as they finalise the delimitations, elections will be held," Rafique said, expressing confidence that the process could be completed within months.

The minister's assurance came days after the ECP confirmed that it had withdrawn the schedule for Punjab's local government elections.

In a meeting chaired by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, last week, the ECP reviewed the legal and administrative implications of the Punjab Local Government Act 2025, which repealed the 2022 law under which delimitations had already begun.

The commission said it had granted the provincial government four weeks to frame new delimitation and demarcation rules under the revised legislation - warning that no further extensions would be granted.

Officials confirmed that all delimitation work across the province has now been suspended until the new framework is completed. The ECP's decision, they added, came after the Punjab government requested additional time to align administrative arrangements with the new law.