KEY POINTS
- Local govt elections across Pakistan face prolonged delays due to political resistance and legislative amendments.
- Punjab and Islamabad remain without elected local bodies for over three years.
- Experts argue the ECP has the power to enforce timely elections but lacks the assertiveness to challenge provincial and federal stalling.
- The continued absence of local govts hampers public service delivery, governance, and grassroots democracy.
ISLAMABAD: Despite being a constitutional requirement, local government elections in Pakistan remain in limbo, with multiple delays, legal ambiguities, and political manoeuvring obstructing their timely conduct across the country.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and legal experts have raised alarm over what they term a systemic undermining of local democracy.
Punjab: Caught in Legal Loops and Reluctant Governance
Nowhere is the deadlock more evident than in Punjab, where local governments completed their term in December 2021. However, elections that were constitutionally due by April 2022 remain unheld.
The ECP has conducted delimitation four times, and Punjab’s legislature has amended the local government laws five times, creating a cycle of endless legal restructuring that prevents finalization of the election schedule.
In a recent full commission meeting, the ECP summoned Punjab’s Local Government Secretary and expressed grave concern over legislative manipulation. “Meaningful progress is lacking,” said the ECP in a statement, blaming repeated changes to the laws and administrative apathy for delays.
Legal expert Chaudhry Adeel Khatana argues that the ECP has the authority, and the obligation, under Section 219(4) of the Elections Act 2017 to conduct local body polls within 120 days of term expiry.
He criticized the ECP’s passive stance, stating, “If the Commission can ban transfers and development schemes during election periods, it can also compel governments to finalize laws and conduct polls.”
Islamabad: Victim of Legal Amendments and Political Delay
The federal capital is facing a similar impasse. The Islamabad Metropolitan Corporation (MCI) completed its term in February 2021, but no elections have been held since.
Repeated delays were further exacerbated when the government passed the Islamabad Capital Territory Local Government (Amendment) Bill, 2024, increasing the number of union council wards from six to nine, requiring a new delimitation exercise.
While the ECP had originally scheduled elections for October 9, 2025, the fresh legal amendments again derailed the timeline.
While talking to WE News English, former ECP Secretary Kanwar Dilshad called the amendments a deliberate attempt to postpone elections, asserting that the government is in violation of Article 140-A, which mandates provinces to devolve political, administrative, and financial powers to elected local bodies.
Balochistan: Dysfunction and Dormancy
In Balochistan, although elections were held over two years ago, more than 27% of union councils remain non-functional due to a lack of funding and administrative support.
Meanwhile, elections for the Quetta Metropolitan Corporation (QMC) have yet to be held. Civil society groups argue that bureaucratic control, political interference, and lack of political will have rendered local governments toothless.
Participants at a recent session held in Quetta highlighted that local governments have historically received more autonomy under military regimes than democratic ones.
Zahra Hassan of the Balochistan Women Business Association called the current state of local governance “a betrayal of democratic ideals.”
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: Functional Yet Frustrated
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), local governments are functional, having been elected in 2021–22 in two phases. However, elected representatives complain of zero development funds and undefined powers.
Chairman of the Local Council Association, Himayatullah Mayar, warned that any further delay in elections post-2026 may be challenged in court.
The provincial government, however, insists no extension of tenure is under consideration and remains non-committal about future elections.
Constitutional Deadlock or Political Convenience?
The root of the problem, according to ECP officials, lies in Article 140-A, which gives provincial governments control over local government laws, allowing them to amend or delay structures at will.
The ECP Secretary himself admitted that unless Article 140-A is revised, timely local elections will remain elusive.
But legal observers refute this, saying the ECP already holds sufficient powers under the Constitution and Elections Act to compel compliance.
“The ECP can issue deadlines, penalize government functionaries, and hold elections under existing laws if amendments are pending,” said advocate Khatana, urging the Commission to take a firmer stance.
The Cost of Delay
The lack of empowered local governments directly impacts public service delivery, governance, and development. Without elected local bodies, key areas like sanitation, infrastructure, and health remain neglected, especially in urban centres like Quetta and Islamabad.
Civil society activists warn that repeated delays weaken public trust in democracy, centralize power, and deny citizens access to grassroots representation.
