By Hafiz Rahat Usama 
Verdict Announced on Delayed Punjab Polls
ISLAMABAD – The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday announced its long-awaited verdict regarding the delay in local government elections in Punjab, the country’s most populous province. Headed by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja, the ECP bench ruled that the elections will now be held in the last week of December 2025.
The bench directed that the delimitation process begin immediately from Thursday and be completed within two months. Other members of the bench included Nisar Durrani, Shah Muhammad Jatoi, and Babar Hassan Bharwana. The ruling further clarified that the upcoming local body elections in Punjab would be conducted under the 2022 law.
CEC Expresses Frustration Over Election Delays
During the hearing, Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja voiced strong disapproval over the repeated postponement of local government elections in Punjab. Calling the delay an “embarrassment” for both the Election Commission and successive provincial governments, the CEC criticized political leaders for avoiding accountability at the local level.
“The local government elections have not been held in the country’s biggest province. It is not only an embarrassment for the election commission but also for various governments that ruled during the delay,” remarked the CEC. He emphasized that every government that came into power in Punjab had shown reluctance to hold these elections, prioritizing political control over constitutional duty.
“The time has come for the ECP to exercise its constitutional authority and take a decisive step,” Raja added, signaling a firm stance by the commission to move forward without further delay.
ECP Rebukes Punjab Government for Repeated Amendments
In its detailed judgment, the ECP pointed out that the Punjab government’s repeated changes to local government laws were one of the main reasons for the prolonged delay. The commission noted that the term of Punjab’s previous local governments had expired in December 2021, yet no elections had taken place since then.
According to the verdict, Punjab’s local government framework was amended five times in recent years. Two separate laws were introduced in May 2019, followed by an ordinance in December 2021. Subsequently, a new law was passed on June 24, 2022, and another on November 16, 2022.
The ECP explained that each amendment or ordinance disrupted the electoral preparation process, resulting in repeated suspensions of the delimitation exercises. The commission recalled that it had first initiated the delimitation process in June 2020, but the Punjab government requested a halt. A subsequent delimitation round occurred between December 2021 and March 2022, followed by another effort that continued into early 2023.
Future Roadmap and Accountability
The ECP’s judgment also addressed recent claims by a Punjab government minister suggesting that the province was ready for elections but the ECP was delaying the process. CEC Raja firmly dismissed such statements, asserting that the delay was largely due to the provincial government’s own actions.
In June 2024, the ECP had again released a schedule for delimitation, only to withdraw it at the Punjab government’s request. The commission now appears determined to move forward decisively, ensuring that Punjab’s local body elections are finally conducted within the new timeline.