The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday decided to hold local government elections in Punjab in December this year, after a delay of nearly four years.

The decision was announced after a four-member committee headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja announced its reserved verdict in a case related to the delay in Punjab’s local body polls.

According to the ruling, the elections will be conducted in the last week of December under the 2022 Local Government Act.

The commission directed authorities to complete the delimitation of local government constituencies within two months, noting that the work in this regard has already begun.

During the hearing, ECP Secretary Umar Hameed and other senior officials briefed the committee, saying the commission had made “all-out efforts” to conduct local government elections in Sindh, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and cantonment areas despite repeated delays caused by provincial governments.

Officials told the commission that the Punjab government had continuously hindered the election process, even though holding local government elections is a constitutional obligation.

It was noted that the tenure of local bodies in Punjab had expired on December 31, 2021, and elections could not be held for three years and nine months.

During this period, the Punjab government amended the local government law five times and is now making a sixth amendment.

The ECP carried out delimitation exercises three times and even announced an election schedule once, but polls could not take place.

Officials informed the committee that the 2022 local government law remains in force, and elections can be held under it.

If electronic voting machines (EVMs) are unavailable, ballot papers can be used instead.

The Director General (Law) said there were no legal hurdles to holding the polls under the 2022 rules, while the Special Secretary of the ECP added that two to two-and-a-half months would be required to complete delimitations in Punjab.

He stressed that work in this regard must now begin, reminding that the Supreme Court has already warned of serious consequences for obstructing local government elections.

Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja remarked that the over three-year delay in Punjab’s local government polls was “a matter of embarrassment” not only for the ECP but for all governments.

He said successive administrations had failed to show seriousness in conducting local polls, adding that it was time for the commission to exercise its constitutional authority and make a firm decision.

“If any government does not wish to hold local government elections, it should amend the Constitution and state clearly that local governments are not needed,” he remarked.

“But as long as the law exists, the Election Commission is bound to ensure its implementation.”

The Punjab government’s representative informed the commission that the standing committee had cleared the new local government bill on August 6, but its passage was delayed due to the flood situation and the provincial assembly’s non-session days.

The provincial government assured the ECP that the bill would be presented in the next assembly session for approval.