ISLAMABAD: The local government elections in Islamabad have been postponed for the third time, as the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) issued a notification on Wednesday to suspend the election program initially scheduled for August 20. The ECP’s decision came in response to recent amendments made by parliament to the Islamabad Capital Territory Local Government Act 2015, which were announced on August 30, 2024.
The ECP’s notification stated that the election program issued on August 20, which had rescheduled the polling date from September 29 to October 9, would be held in abeyance until further notice. This postponement follows amendments increasing the number of general seats in union councils from six to nine and the number of reserved seats for women from two to three. The notification did not address potential new delimitations required due to the increased number of seats.
PTI leader Shiraz Kiani announced that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party plans to challenge the ECP’s decision in the Islamabad High Court. Kiani claimed that the postponement is a strategic move by the government, which fears losing the elections to PTI.
In contrast, PML-N officials, including Dr. Tariq Fazal Chaudhry and Raja Khurram Nawaz, supported the delay, arguing that it would allow for the introduction of a more effective local government model akin to those in New Delhi and London. They emphasized the goal of creating a robust local government system to address public issues at the grassroots level.
The elections had previously been delayed due to changes in the number of union councils (UCs). Originally planned for 50 UCs, the number was increased to 101, then to 125, and now further adjustments to general seats in UCs have led to additional delays.
The last local government elections were held in 2016, resulting in a victory for PML-N and the election of Sheikh Anser Aziz as Islamabad’s first mayor. However, the Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI) struggled due to lack of support and funding from the federal government and the then-ruling party, which led to the first local government’s tenure ending without proper compensation for UC chairmen.
