The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday stopped all work related to the Punjab local government (LG) elections and withdrew the delimitation notification, deciding that the upcoming polls will be held under the new Local Government Act 2025.

The decision was taken during a meeting chaired by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja to review preparations for local elections in Punjab.

The meeting discussed various proposals before reaching a consensus on implementing the new legislation.

According to an official statement, the ECP has approved the Punjab Local Government Act 2025, which nullifies the previous Local Government Act 2022.

Consequently, all delimitations carried out under the old law have been declared void.

The ECP observed that any action under the repealed act would constitute a violation of Section 219 of the Election Act. It therefore instructed the Punjab government to finalise the delimitation rules within four weeks, warning that no further extension will be granted.

The Commission added that if the provincial authorities fail to complete the process within the stipulated time, the matter will be taken up for hearing.