ECP tells IHC it’s ready for LG polls in Islamabad

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has expressed its willingness to conduct local government elections in the federal capital.

The commission submitted a report to the Islamabad High Court, saying that it is ready to hold the local elections. The IHC asked the secretary cabinet for a report explaining why the elections in Islamabad were being delayed.

The court remarked that keeping citizens from electing their representatives and running the Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI) through an administrator is against the law.

It further observed that the government appears hesitant to implement the Local Government Act in the federal capital. The court told the interior secretary to provide the legal justification for the notification of the MCI administrator’s appointment, otherwise a restraining order would be issued.

Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir of the IHC sought a report from the cabinet secretary on why the local government elections were not held despite a court order. The written order mentioned that the federal government is playing a hide-and-seek game to delay the elections in Islamabad. The lack of coordination among various government ministries and departments cannot be used as an excuse for delaying the local elections, which is also a violation of the constitution and various Supreme Court decisions, it added.

The election commission’s director general law submitted a report on holding local elections in Islamabad, expressing their readiness to conduct the polls. The interior ministry also submitted a report, indicating that the notification of MCI’s reserved seats could not be issued due to pending matters in the cabinet.

The court’s written order stated that according to the law, the MCI administrator can only be appointed for six months, and any extension beyond six months is against the law. The next hearing of the case is scheduled for July 8.