ECP deliberating hold local government elections in Islamabad on Jan 10, 2023

Islamabad: (Staff Reporter) The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is deliberating to hold local government polls in the federal capital on Jan 10. A final date for the long-delayed LG polls would be announced after consultation with Chief Elections Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja and other ECP members.

According to the source the top election body has paced up preparations for the elections, which were previously scheduled for Dec 31, as ballot papers have been sent to the offices of the returning officers. The shortage of staff for the polling process was a key hurdle in the elections as staff of the education departments was on winter vacation. The teachers and other staff would be available to the ECP after the schools and colleges reopen on Jan 8.

Furthermore it is recalled that the ECP had presented the shortage of staff as an excuse for not holding the election as per schedule after the Islamabad High Court (IHC) ordered it to conduct the LG polls on Dec 31. The ECP failed to comply with the IHC’s single-bench order to hold the elections as per schedule and it along with the federal capital filed an intra-court appeal against the ruling on Saturday.

Last week, IHC Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir issued the ruling for the LG polls after the ECP announced to postpone them due to the government’s decision to increase the union councils (UCs) in the federal capital.