ECP to take up delayed Islamabad LG polls on 13th

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday decided to fix November 13 for a hearing on the long-delayed local government elections in the federal capital.

Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja presided over the meeting, which was attended by ECP members, secretary and other senior officers.

The meeting observed that the local governments of Islamabad completed their term on February 14, 2021 and since then the local government elections have been delayed. It was emphasised that the elections have already been deferred for an extended period and further delay may occur due to ongoing correspondence and procedural requirements.

The forum decided that the case on holding the Islamabad local government elections will be taken up before the commission on November 13, 2025. The proposed amendments by the ECP, as well as consultations with the Ministry of Interior and the Islamabad administration under Section 219(3) will be reviewed at the hearing.

It was also decided to issue notices to the interior secretary and the chief commissioner, Islamabad.

Earlier, the ECP was briefed that an amendment is required to Section 15 of the Islamabad Local Government Act, 2015 (Amended 2024), and the commission has written to the Ministry of Interior multiple times in this regard.

The meeting was informed that the last letter from the Ministry of Interior was received on October 23, 2025 stating that the proposed amendment bill was placed before the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on October 21, 2025, but the matter was deferred for further consideration.