ISLAMABAD: Islamabad’s local government elections may face another postponement despite the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) announcement of December 20 as the polling date, with the federal government moving ahead with proposed amendments to the local government law.
On Thursday, the government presented a report of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Interior on the Islamabad Capital Territory Local Government (Amendment) Bill, 2026 (Ordinance No. II of 2026), in the National Assembly.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) MNA Anjum Aqeel Khan presented the committee’s report on behalf of its chairman, Raja Khurram Shahzad.
Under the proposed amendments, the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) would be divided into three town corporations, each headed by a mayor and supported by two deputy mayors.
The bill empowers the federal government to notify the three town corporations and undertake delimitation of union councils based on population. These steps could make it difficult to hold the elections on the scheduled date of December 20.
The government is expected to seek passage of the bill during the ongoing National Assembly session, which is scheduled to continue until October 27. If approved, the proposed changes could trigger another delay in the local government polls, potentially marking the sixth postponement.
The elections were previously scheduled for February 15 this year but were deferred following the promulgation of an ordinance.
On Wednesday, the ECP directed its officials to complete all constitutional and legal formalities required to conduct the Islamabad local government elections.
Subsequently, the commission announced the election schedule, setting November 2 to 6 as the dates for filing nomination papers.
The ECP has also appointed 49 officers to serve as district returning officers, returning officers and assistant returning officers for the electoral exercise.
Meanwhile, the commission has scheduled a hearing for October 28 on the conduct of local government elections in Punjab and cantonment boards across the country.
