The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has constituted a committee to facilitate the conduct of local government elections in Punjab and instructed the provincial authorities to resolve outstanding matters with the panel no later than February 10.
The committee will be headed by the Special Secretary of the Election Commission.
A five-member bench of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, on Thursday took up the delay in Punjab’s local government elections.
Punjab Chief Secretary Zahid Akhtar Zaman and Secretary Local Government Shakeel Ahmed appeared before the Election Commission of Pakistan in the case concerning the delay in local government elections in the province.
The CEC directed the provincial chief secretary to convey the gravity of the matter to the chief minister, cautioning that further inaction could cause embarrassment.
He added that the Punjab chief minister may be summoned on February 20, if necessary.
The Chief Election Commissioner said the Election Commission would step in to hold local government elections if required, calling it “embarrassing” that Punjab has lacked a local government system since 2021. He added that if local bodies were deemed unnecessary, “there should be no need for a provincial government either.” The hearing was adjourned until February 20.
Separately, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) on Thursday raised serious concerns over the Punjab Local Government Act 2025 that the law centralises power and undermines the constitutional framework of local government.
A press release issued by the HRCP said it held a consultation to examine the act that brought together local government experts, legislators and civil society activists, who questioned whether the new law meaningfully upheld the constitutional promise of local self-government.
Legal expert Sheikh Sibghat Ullah said that Article 140A of the Constitution guaranteed autonomous and democratically elected local governments with political, administrative and financial authority. He said the new act weakened this guarantee by making local bodies accountable to the provincial government and bureaucracy rather than to citizens.
HRCP Treasurer Husain Naqi criticised the re-centralisation of authority through indirect elections, bureaucratic dominance and the reduced role of elected representatives. Election expert Tahir Mehdi said successive local government laws had restricted democratic development, and this act followed the same pattern.
Local government expert Zahid Islam opposed the indirect election of key officeholders and referred to recent resolutions passed by the Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assemblies calling for constitutional reforms, including clear interpretation of Article 7, broader inclusion under Article 32 and a separate constitutional chapter on local governments. He also said reserved seats increased marginalisation and called for elections on a joint electorate basis.
HRCP Director Farah Zia suggested holding local, provincial and national elections on the same day to reduce uncertainty, a model planned for Gilgit-Baltistan.