ECP issues notices over delay in Islamabad local govt elections

Summons interior secretary, Islamabad chief commissioner as ordinance expires without replacement legislation

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday moved to address the delay in Islamabad’s local government elections, summoning the interior secretary and Islamabad chief commissioner for a hearing on October 21 after the ordinance governing the polls expired without the federal government completing the required legislation.

The commission said it would consider whether the elections could proceed under the Islamabad Capital Territory Local Government Act, 2015, and intended to issue the election schedule under the existing law after the hearing.

“The Election Commission has decided to fix this case for a formal hearing before the Commission on October 21, 2026, and to issue notices to the Secretary, Ministry of Interior, and the Chief Commissioner, Islamabad, to assist the Commission,” the ECP said in a statement shared on X.

The ECP said it had completed the delimitation of constituencies and published the final lists on Wednesday, but the expiry of the Islamabad Local Government (Amendment) Ordinance, 2026, had left the legal framework for holding the elections unresolved.

“The Election Commission intends to issue the election schedule under the old local government law (ICT Local Government Act 2015) after a formal hearing,” the statement read.

#ECP pic.twitter.com/pHvL0TENKY

— Election Commission of Pakistan (OFFICIAL)🇵🇰 (@ECP_Pakistan) October 14, 2026

The commission said it had initiated the delimitation process on July 21 under the Federal Capital Islamabad (Amendment) Ordinance, 2026, and had since completed the exercise.

However, the ordinance expired on September 6 before the federal government could enact the necessary legislation. A parliamentary standing committee had approved the required legislation on September 3, but the legislative process was not completed before the ordinance lapsed.

The ECP said it had sent its feedback on the Islamabad Local Government Rules to the Ministry of Interior on July 20, seeking legislation and publication of the rules in line with its recommendations.

The Ministry of Law and Justice subsequently returned the draft rules to the Ministry of Interior, citing the expiry of the ordinance and the resulting lack of authority to frame rules under it.

The Ministry of Interior had been handling the proposed legislation and local government rules, while the Ministry of Law and Justice reviewed the draft. The ECP had provided recommendations to the interior ministry to facilitate the establishment of the required legal framework.

The commission has now sought the assistance of the interior secretary and Islamabad chief commissioner to determine how the elections can proceed following the ordinance’s expiry.

Reasons for LG polls delay

Article 140-A of the Constitution requires provinces to establish local government systems by law and devolve political, administrative and financial authority to elected representatives. The ECP is responsible for holding local government elections under Article 140-A and Article 219 of the Constitution.

Islamabad’s last local government elections were held in 2015, and the elected local government’s term expired in February 2021. Fresh polls have since been delayed amid repeated changes to the legal framework.

The ECP had scheduled local government elections in Islamabad, but the process was disrupted in January 2026 when President Asif Ali Zardari promulgated the Islamabad Capital Territory Local Government (Amendment) Ordinance, amending the 2015 law and replacing the Metropolitan Corporation structure with three town corporations.

The changes required fresh delimitation and effectively reset the election process, prompting the ECP to cancel the scheduled polls.

The federal government subsequently pursued amendments to the local government law, while a separate committee led by Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal worked on proposals for a new Islamabad government structure. The National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Interior approved the ICT Local Government Bill 2026 on September 3, but the ordinance expired on September 6 before the replacement legislation was enacted.