The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday expressed deep disappointment over the prolonged delay in Punjab’s local government elections, summoned the Secretary of the Punjab Local Government Department in personal capacity, and scheduled a full bench hearing for October 8, 2025.
An important meeting of the Commission was held under the chairmanship of Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja to review the status of local government elections in Punjab.
During the meeting, the Secretary of the ECP briefed the Commission, stating that the tenure of local governments in Punjab had ended in 2021.
He further noted that local government laws were amended five times under previous provincial administrations, which contributed to repeated delays in the electoral process.
The Commission has conducted delimitation exercises three times and completed the registration of electoral groups twice. Legislative work is now underway for the sixth time.
Despite repeated correspondence and meetings with the Punjab Government, the necessary legislation and conduct of local government elections have yet to be finalized.
The Secretary also informed the Commission that, in an effort to expedite the process, a hearing was held on June 2, 2025.
During this hearing, the Provincial Minister for Local Government, Punjab and the Secretary Local Government, Punjab, appeared before the Commission and stated that the draft local government law was under review by the Standing Committee.
They added that the provincial government was engaged in the budget session and requested an additional three months to complete the legislation.
The Election Commission, in its order, granted the requested extension; however, no progress has been reported to date.
The meeting was attended by the members of the Commission, the Secretary ECP, and other senior officials.