ECP terminates LG polls in 17 Punjab districts on LHC orders

MULTAN: The Election Commission of Pakistan under the orders of the Lahore High Court (Multan Bench) has notified termination of local government elections in 17 districts of Punjab.

The ECP will announce a new date for the polls later as the ECP notification No F-2 (3) 2022/LGE (P) terminated LG elections in 17 Punjab districts including six south Punjab districts such as Muzaffargarh, Layyah, Rajanpur, Dera Ghazi Khan, Khanewal and Vehari.

Earlier, LHC (Multan Bench) Justice Shan Gul on April 21 had stayed local government polls in the first phase in 17 Punjab districts and adjourned proceedings till April 28. The Election Commission of Pakistan had scheduled the LG polls in Punjab for May-June. The ECP had announced that LG polls in 17 Punjab districts will be held at the end of May. Now the ECP has terminated the election schedule.

Advocate Rana Asif Saeed had challenged the Election Ordinance 2021 on behalf of three petitioners from Khanewal, Sahiwal and Vehari, stating that the next local government elections are scheduled under the same ordinance which is totally illegal because it has expired and a notification for its extension is also illegal. The counsel argued that village council elections were to be held, followed by elections for district council chairmen and municipal corporation mayors. But every step was taken illegally. He argued that the LG Ordinance says that voting in elections was to be done by machines but there is no such system, so elections should be stopped. The LHC judge sought detailed replies from the ECP and the secretary Local Government in Punjab till April 28.