ECP likely to conduct Islamabad LG polls this week

• ECP is making arrangements for the LG elections
• It has started shifting election material to polling stations
• The polling date will be announced soon

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is making preparations to hold the Local Government elections in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) this week, Bol News reported.

Sources revealed the ECP is gearing up to conduct the polls this week and has issued directives to transfer the election material to the polling stations on an emergency basis.

The Returning Officers (RO) have been instructed to make arrangements for election materials and staff. The final date for conducting the polls will be announced soon, sources further added.

The election commission was unable to hold the polls on Saturday, December 31, despite the directives of the Islamabad High Court (IHC).

President Dr Arif Alvi has returned a bill seeking an increase in the number of union councils in Islamabad, stating it would further delay the Local Government elections.

The president returned the Islamabad Capital Territory Local Government (Amendment) Bill, 2022 unsigned in terms of clause (1) (b) of Article 75 of the Constitution.

“Actions of the Federal Government taken in hurry on resulted in delaying election process twice, which was anathema to democracy,” the president was quoted as saying.

The ECP filed an intra-court appeal against the court’s verdict for its inability to conduct the polls within such short notice. The court will hear the appeal this week as well.

The PTI filed contempt of court plea against the ECP for not conducting the polls. PTI leader Ali Nawaz Awan filed an application requesting to initiate contempt of court proceedings against the election commission for deliberately disobeying the court’s directives.

The Interior Ministry had also expressed its inability to conduct the polls and provide security on such short notice within a day.

Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah also said the federal government is not in a position to hold local government elections in Islamabad. He said they respect the court’s verdict but holding polls on such a short time period is not possible as the arrangements cannot be made in such a brief timespan.

The federal minister said more than 1,000 polling stations need to be provided security. He added that election material is still not deployed at the polling stations and the polling staff is required. Therefore, he said it is not possible to conduct the polls.