Petitioner challenges Islamabad local election schedule in high court
A petition filed by Chaudhry Amjad Ali on November 5 challenged the Election Commission of Pakistan's October 21 order for local government polls in Islamabad.
Court seeks delimitation status first
Chaudhry Amjad Ali filed the petition through counsel Barrister Adil Aziz Qazi at the Islamabad High Court. The petitioner argued that elections cannot proceed without determining the legal status of existing constituency delimitations. He maintained that fresh and transparent delimitation must be carried out before any voting takes place. The legal framework governing Islamabad's local government constituencies needs to be settled according to the filing.
Expired terms and nomination dates
The petition stated that the legal term of local institutions expired in February 2021 under the Elections Act 2017. Holding elections within 120 days of expiry is a strict legal requirement for the commission. The ECP scheduled nomination paper submission from November 2 to 6, 2026 with polling set for December 20, 2026. Final lists issued through Form 09 on October 14 showed 130 union councils instead of the act's 125.
Withdrawn programme and legal history
The ECP issued a delimitation schedule on December 12, 2024 before announcing a fresh programme on December 26, 2025. That earlier programme set February 15, 2026 as the polling date but was subsequently withdrawn. The withdrawal followed changes in the legal framework governing the capital's local government structure. Respondents include the Ministry of Interior and the Capital Development Authority alongside other relevant authorities.
All 2 outlets report consistently
No differences in figures, names or dates across these reports.
- Associated Press of Pakistan
- Business Recorder
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2 independent outlets. Headlines as published. Links open the original report.