ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday set a firm timeline for Punjab’s long-awaited local government elections, declaring that polls will be held in the final week of December 2025.
The verdict, delivered by a bench headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, directed that the delimitation process in the province begin on Thursday and be completed within two months. Other members of the bench included Nisar Durrani, Shah Muhammad Jatoi, and Babar Hassan Bharwana.
The commission ruled that the elections will be conducted under the 2022 local government law. During the proceedings, the chief election commissioner voiced strong displeasure over repeated delays, calling the situation an “embarrassment” not only for the ECP but also for successive provincial governments.
“All the governments that came into power did not want these elections to be held,” CEC Raja remarked, stressing that the time had come for the commission to exercise its constitutional authority.
The judgment noted that the tenure of Punjab’s local governments expired in December 2021, yet elections have been repeatedly stalled. Over the past few years, the Punjab government amended local government laws five times, introducing new frameworks in 2019, 2021, and twice in 2022. Each time, the ECP’s delimitation process was either suspended or withdrawn at the province’s request.
The commission highlighted that delimitation exercises were carried out between 2020 and 2023, but none translated into elections. Even a schedule issued in June 2024 was later scrapped.
CEC Raja also dismissed claims from provincial ministers that the ECP was responsible for delays, stating that the Punjab government itself had repeatedly sought postponements.
According to The News, the ruling underscores the ECP’s resolve to move forward decisively, ensuring that Punjab’s local bodies are restored through elections after nearly four years of administrative vacuum.