Islamabad, October 21,2026: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday directed its office to immediately prepare and issue the election programme for local government elections in Islamabad under the Islamabad Capital Territory Local Government Act, 2015, ending prolonged uncertainty over the legal framework for the polls.
A five-member ECP bench, headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, issued the order while hearing a case concerning repeated delays in holding local government elections in the federal capital.
The commission directed the relevant office to take all consequential steps expeditiously and in accordance with the law to ensure the timely completion of the electoral process.
The bench included members Nisar Ahmed Durrani, Shah Muhammad Jatoi, Babar Hassan Bharwana and Justice (retd) Ikramullah Khan.
Interior Secretary Ahmed Raza Sarwar and Additional Deputy Commissioner Uzair Ali Khan, representing the Islamabad chief commissioner, appeared before the commission. ECP officials, including Secretary, Special Secretary (Policy), Special Secretary (Law), Additional Director General (Local Government Elections), Additional Director General (Law) and Director (Law), also attended the proceedings.
In its order, the commission invoked Articles 140A, 218(3), 219 and 220 of the Constitution, Section 219 of the Elections Act, 2017, and Sections 17 and 24 of the Islamabad Capital Territory Local Government Act, 2015, directing its office to proceed under the legislation currently in force.
During the hearing, ECP Special Secretary Zafar Iqbal Malik informed the commission that constituency delimitation had been carried out six times and election schedules issued four times. He said the latest schedule had been set for October 9, while polling had originally been planned for February 2026.
Malik explained that the Islamabad Capital Territory Local Government (Amendment) Ordinance, 2026, under which new constituency maps and data had been obtained, lapsed on September 6 before replacement legislation could be enacted. Final delimitations had subsequently been published on October 14.
He said the ECP had sent two reminder letters to the Ministry of Interior regarding the ordinance’s expiry, but the rules required for the elections had not been provided. According to Malik, the Ministry of Law had declined to vet the proposed rules.
The ECP had submitted its feedback on the Islamabad Local Government Rules to the Interior Ministry on July 20, 2026. Although the relevant legislation was approved by a parliamentary standing committee on September 3, it was not enacted before the ordinance expired.
The interior secretary confirmed the facts presented by the ECP but argued that reverting to the 2015 law would require the existing process to be scrapped.
Chief Election Commissioner Raja disagreed, saying the delimitation exercise would not be affected by reverting to the earlier legislation.
Raja also referred to an undertaking provided by the interior minister, interior secretary and Islamabad chief commissioner on behalf of a ministerial committee.
Expressing concern over the prolonged delay, the CEC remarked that it appeared the government did not wish to hold local government elections in Islamabad. He stressed that the Constitution required elections to be conducted in accordance with the applicable local government law.
“Compelled by the circumstances, we are now issuing an order for the Islamabad local government elections,” Raja said.
Islamabad without elected local government since 2021
Islamabad has remained without an elected local government since the term of its first elected municipal administration expired in February 2021.
The capital’s only local government elections were held in 2015 for 50 union councils. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) won the polls, and Sheikh Anser Aziz became the city’s first mayor.
Under Article 140A of the Constitution and Section 219(4) of the Elections Act, 2017, the ECP is required to hold local government elections within 120 days of the expiry of the outgoing local government’s term.
However, repeated changes to the legal framework have stalled the process for years.
The number of union councils was initially set at 50, subsequently increased to 101 and later raised to 125. In December 2022, elections were scheduled for December 31 on the basis of 101 union councils, but the government increased their number to 125 shortly before polling. The ECP postponed the elections, citing logistical difficulties, despite an Islamabad High Court order to proceed.
The commission later announced a fresh schedule for February 15, 2026, covering 125 union councils. However, President Asif Ali Zardari promulgated the Islamabad Capital Territory Local Government (Amendment) Ordinance, 2026, in January, replacing the Metropolitan Corporation structure with three town corporations aligned with National Assembly constituencies.
The changes required fresh delimitations, and the ECP withdrew the election schedule.
The federal government subsequently pursued replacement legislation, but the bill was not enacted before the ordinance lapsed on September 6.
With the ordinance no longer in force, the ECP has decided to proceed under the 2015 Act.
The latest development comes as a high-level committee headed by Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, formed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, has proposed devolving powers from the federal government to Islamabad as a federating unit.
The committee has recommended a provincial-style government for the capital, including a proposed 27-member Islamabad Assembly comprising 21 directly elected representatives, with seven from each of the three National Assembly constituencies, five women on reserved seats and one minority representative.
Under the proposal, the assembly would oversee government departments, while law and order and master planning would remain under federal control.
The assembly would elect a chief executive, to be designated either chief minister or mayor, while the post of chief commissioner would be replaced by that of chief secretary.
The ECP’s latest order, however, directs the commission to proceed with local government elections under the existing 2015 legislation, rather than await the enactment of a new legal framework.
