IHC directs ECP to conduct LG polls in 101 UCs of Islamabad tomorrow

Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday directed Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to hold local bodies elections in the capital city on December 31 (tomorrow).

The elections will be held on 101 Union Councils (UCs) of Islamabad.

Notably, the National Assembly on December 22 passed The Islamabad Capital Territory Local Government (Amendment) Bill, 2022.

The bill was introduced by Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah.

The amendment bill gave legal cover to increment in the number of UCs in Islamabad from 101 to 125.

Even after the increment in the number of UCs in Islamabad, the commission decided to hold the elections on December 31.

However, on December 24, the IHC nullified the ECP’s order and ordered the commission to hear grievances of stakeholders.

Following this, the electoral body decided to delay polls but Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Ali Nawaz Awan filed a petition against it.

Today, IHC announced its reserved verdict and voided the ECP’s decision to postpone the polls.

The notification of the interior ministry has also been repealed.

Govt decides to file intra court appeal

SAMAA TV citing sources reported that federal government has decided to file intra court appeal in the IHC for suspension of LG elections in Islamabad.

Sources claimed that it would not be possible to hold polls in such short span.

Citing sources, it has been reported that ECP staff were also out of station due to long weekend which would make it impossible to transport polling material to polling stations.

Sources told that with no option left, the federal government has decided to file an intra court appeal in IHC.

Rana Sanaullah says no polls tomorrow

Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said that Islamabad LG elections will not be held tomorrow (Saturday).

The minister said that the IHC’s verdict was not practical and government will file an intra court appeal against it.

He recalled that PTI delayed the polls for over two years, adding that conduct of elections required four to five months.

Sanaullah said that delimitations and rectification of discrepancies in voters’ list were yet to be carried out.

Imran Khan congratulates Islamabad residents

PTI Chairman Imran Khan congratulated the people of Islamabad on the IHC verdict on local bodies elections.

“The people of Islamabad will elect their local government through voting, “Imran said in a video message posted on the PTI official Twitter handle.

He expressed that it was unfortunate that the ECP had underhand agreement with the ‘cabal of corrupts’ imposed on the country.

He said that the clique of corrupt people always run away from elections and stays cling to the power through unfair means.

He urged Islamabad residents to fully participate in the local government elections.