IHC suspends Islamabad LG elections

ISLAMABAD:

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday suspended the Election Commission of Pakistan's (ECP) schedule for local government elections in the federal capital, which were scheduled for December 20, and sought responses from the commission and other respondents by November 26.

Justice Umer Majeed Malik issued the stay order while hearing a petition filed by citizen Amjad Ali through his lawyer, Adil Aziz Qazi, challenging the election schedule over objections to the delimitation of constituencies.

In its written order, the court accepted the petitioner's request to suspend the election schedule and also suspended the ECP notification issued on October 21.

The petitioner's lawyer argued that the delimitation process had been carried out under legislation that was no longer in force, making the election schedule legally questionable.

He told the court that the Islamabad Capital Territory Local Government Ordinance 2026 had introduced three town corporations and increased the number of union councils from 125 to 130. The ordinance had also replaced the existing system of dividing each union council into nine wards with a delimitation process based on census blocks.

According to the written order, the ECP had issued a final list of 130 union councils on October 14.

The lawyer argued that the ordinance had ceased to have effect under Article 89 of the Constitution after the expiry of a 120-day extension, resulting in the restoration of the Islamabad Capital Territory Local Government Act 2015.

Following the restoration of the 2015 law, the ECP decided on October 21 to hold elections under the legislation and issued the election schedule the same day.

However, the petitioner maintained that the commission had not carried out the delimitation of 125 union councils into nine wards or determined the boundaries of the Metropolitan Corporation as required under the restored legislation.

He argued that delimitations conducted under the amended legislation could not serve as the basis for elections under the restored 2015 Act. Fresh delimitation and the preparation of electoral rolls under the Local Government Act 2015 and the Elections Act were necessary before the polls could be held, he contended.

The petitioner further argued that holding elections without completing the required delimitation would violate Article 218(3) of the Constitution, the Local Government Act 2015 and the Elections Act, besides resulting in a waste of public funds.

The court order also recorded the petitioner's counsel's argument that the ECP was legally responsible for ensuring free, fair and transparent elections.

The court issued notices to the ECP and other respondents, directing them to submit their replies by November 26, and adjourned further proceedings until that date.