Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja on Tuesday said it appeared that the current government is “ignoring” both the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and the local government system. The CEC passed these remarks while hearing a case regarding the delay in local government elections in Islamabad.
“Unfortunately, it appears that in the current government, the ECP and the local government system are being ignored,” he said, adding that the commission had been compelled to issue a contempt notice. The ECP had earlier announced holding the local body polls in Islamabad on February 15, but the same were postponed after the federal government decided to bring a new law.
During the hearing on Tuesday, Raja remarked that Islamabad has been without a local government since February 2021. He noted that two governments, including a caretaker setup, had come during this period, and both had shown a positive response toward holding local government elections. Meanwhile, the ECP exempted Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi from appearing in person during the hearing.
The interior minister did not appear before the commission, while the interior secretary attended the proceedings and informed the bench that Naqvi was unwell and unable to appear. The chief election commissioner granted Naqvi an exemption for the day. The ECP had previously summoned the interior minister in his personal capacity during the last hearing.
During the proceedings, the bench observed that the draft related to the Islamabad local government elections included the names of union councils, which fall outside the authority of the concerned department. The bench noted that delimitation and matters related to union councils fall under the mandate of the ECP.
The commission also observed that the notification regarding Union Councils was not in accordance with requirements. The ECP had asked for the number of towns and union councils, but instead their names were included. It also pointed out that the number of Union Councils had been increased from 125 to 130, while unnecessary details about wards had also been provided.
The interior secretary apologised to the commission over the contempt notice and said that the draft notification regarding the Islamabad local government elections had been placed before the federal cabinet for approval. Raja also announced the formation of a committee, to be headed by the chief commissioner or deputy commissioner of Islamabad, with representation from the Election Commission, to ensure coordination between the ECP and the Islamabad Capital Territory administration.