POLITICS & POLICY MAKING
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has ordered the Punjab government to immediately complete the Local Government Act legislation, ensuring that local body elections can take place without further delays.
A full bench of the ECP, headed by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja, heard the case regarding Punjab Local Government Elections. During the hearing, Punjab’s Chief Secretary and Secretary Local Government appeared before the commission.
ECP’s Concern Over Delays
During the hearing, the CEC emphasized that under the Constitution, the Election Commission is obligated to conduct local government elections. However, he criticized provincial governments for continuously delaying elections by frequently amending laws.
"No provincial government is prepared for local government elections. Laws are changed repeatedly to avoid holding them," the CEC remarked.
The Secretary Election Commission highlighted that Punjab has altered election laws five times, while the ECP has redrawn constituencies three times and prepared electoral group lists twice. Yet, elections have not been conducted.
Punjab Govt’s Response
Punjab’s Chief Secretary informed the ECP that a draft of the Local Government Act has already been presented in the provincial assembly. He assured that once the legislation is finalized, rules will be drafted and full support will be provided to the ECP.
ECP’s Final Orders
The ECP has instructed the Punjab government to immediately complete the legislation so that the delimitation process can begin. The commission made it clear that further delays will not be tolerated and that the constitutional requirement of holding local government elections must be fulfilled without obstacles.
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