ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has issued a notice to the Punjab government for repeatedly delaying the local body elections.
The Election Commission has issued notices to the Chief Secretary of Punjab and the Secretary of Local Government, stating that several steps have been taken to conduct local body elections in Punjab. According to the notice, the Election Commission held multiple meetings regarding the local body elections in Punjab and sent reminders, but it remains unclear what steps the Punjab government has taken to hold the elections.
The Election Commission pointed out that the local government law in Punjab has been amended four times. The Election Commission carried out constituency delimitations three times, and at the request of the Punjab government, it granted a four-week extension to complete the Punjab Local Government Law. The Election Commission also had to halt the delimitations of union councils.
The notice stated that the Punjab government was asked to complete the legislation within a month, and no further extensions would be given. The Punjab government shared the Punjab Local Government Law with the Election Commission on December 26. The Election Commission sent its feedback to the Punjab government on January 23, but the Punjab government has yet to take any steps for the legislation of local government laws or for holding elections.
The Election Commission has scheduled a hearing on the matter of local body elections in Punjab and the case will be heard on February 26 at 10:00 AM.
