The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday postponed the local government elections in Islamabad.
The Election Commission of Pakistan issued a notification regarding postponement of local government elections in Islamabad.
The notification said that the elections were postponed until further notice, citing the recent legislative developments as the reason for the delay.
However, there is no mention of any particular legislation due to which the polls in the federal capital were postponed.
The political parties also did not make comment on the development situation.
On August 8, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) officially scheduled the local government (LG) elections in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) for September 29 and released the corresponding election timetable. However, on August 20, the ECP adjusted the date to October 9, citing requests from various political parties and candidates who sought more time to participate fully in the electoral process.
The term for ICT’s local government ended on February 14, 2021, but the ECP did not manage to conduct the elections within the 120-day timeframe mandated by Section 219(4) of the Elections Act, 2017. According to this law, the ECP is required to hold LG elections within 120 days after the expiration of a local body’s term in a province, cantonment, or ICT.
