Local elections in Punjab to be held in last week of December, Election Commission

The Election Commission of Pakistan gave a safe verdict on the case against the non-conduct of local body elections in Punjab. The Election Commission issued a 6-page written decision of the Punjab Municipal Elections case, the decision was issued by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, members Nisar Durrani, Shah Muhammad Jatoi and Babar Hassan Bharwana. The decision of the Election Commission states that the local elections in Punjab will be held in the last week of December 2025, the constituencies in the province will start from tomorrow, the Election Commission will hold the local elections in Punjab under the 2022 law. In the written decision, the Election Commission ordered to hold the constituency in 2 months. Earlier, a 4-member bench headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja heard the case regarding the delay in the local body elections in Punjab. During the hearing, the Chief Election Commissioner has said that the Election Commission will make a decision today, start the constituency from tomorrow, yesterday the government minister said that the Election Commission should decide, we will hold the election, by delaying itself, saying that the Election Commission is delaying. Sikandar Sultan Raja said that there was no local elections in the largest province of the country, it is not only an embarrassment for the Election Commission but different governments, as many governments came, they did not want the local elections to be held, elections were not held in Punjab and Islamabad, the time has come for the Election Commission to decide. He said that we should declare the election using the authority, the Election Commission is reserving the decision, if there are so many opponents, then amend the constitution and law that there should be no local government, the Election Commission will announce the decision regarding the Punjab Local Government today. Secretary Election Commission Omar Hameed said that the Punjab government obstructed the local government elections, 5 times the local government laws were changed, the law is being amended for the sixth time, Sindh, Balochistan, KP, Cantonment conducted the local elections with great effort, all the provincial governments delayed and obstructed. Also read: Pakistan's Commitment to Doubling the Workforce in Saudi Arabia After Historic Defence Deal
He said that the Punjab municipal election period was completed on December 31, 2021, we had constituency in Punjab 3 times, announced the election schedule once, the local government sent the feedback to Punjab, the chief secretary had informed that the local government in the Punjab Assembly has sent the bill. The DG Law says that according to the 2022 Rules, if there is no EVM, there may be a local election on the ballot papers, there is no obstruction in the conduct of the election, there is no obstruction in the conduct of the election in Punjab, there is now a 2022 local government law, there may be an election on the constituency under the 2022 local government law. Officials of the Election Commission said that the Supreme Court had said that the disruption in the local elections will have serious consequences, it has been three years since the completion of the term of the Punjab government, the 2022 law is not over yet, we should implement the 2022 law and run the cases, the Punjab government says that our law has not been made, they cannot do anything to take away the authority of the Election Commission, the Punjab government is obliged to hold the local elections. Officials said that the case in the Lahore High Court is scheduled for October 14, they also have to respond, the local elections in Punjab have been delayed by three years and 9 months, 2013 is the law of the local government, it is our responsibility to conduct the local elections. Punjab government officials said that the Standing Committee cleared the law on August 6, then the flood came and the assembly session could not be held, on the notice of the commission we informed the government, the government has said that as soon as the assembly session will be held, pass the law in it, as soon as the next session of the assembly will be held, the law will be presented for approval. The Secretary Election Commission said that Jamaat-e-Islami applied for elections to the Lahore High Court, in May, the Punjab government said that the legislative legislators have the authority to give no time, if Punjab does not accept the election today, then local elections can be held on the 2022 law on the constituency. The Special Secretary Election Commission said that we should now make progress in the local elections in Punjab, the previous 2022 law of the Punjab local government still exists, under the previous law, there may be local elections in Punjab. The Election Commission reserved the decision of the case related to the Punjab local body elections, the Chief Election Commissioner declared that we will pronounce the decision today. Later, the Election Commission of Pakistan announced its decision to hold local elections in the province of Punjab in the last week of December 2025.