The Punjab government told the Lahore High Court (LHC) that upcoming local government elections will be held on a party basis. This was revealed during hearings on petitions challenging the Punjab Local Government Act 2025 (PLGA).
An assistant advocate general informed the court that political parties can allow candidates to contest elections on their party tickets. He said Section 55 of the law does not disadvantage any party. Petitioners’ lawyers welcomed the clarification, saying it resolved their main concern.
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LHC Justice Sultan Tanvir Ahmad heard arguments from the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), which said it is prepared to conduct the elections under any law enacted by the government. The ECP noted it had repeatedly written to the government over the past four years to hold LG polls.
The court observed that some provisions of the new law appear inconsistent with the Constitution. Justice Ahmad directed the advocate general to submit a formal reply by Tuesday and stressed that the matter should be decided promptly.
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The PTI has expressed plans to challenge the PLGA 2025 in court. Local government elections in Punjab were originally due after the previous institutions’ term ended on December 31, 2021, under Article 140-A of the Constitution and Section 219(4) of the Elections Act.