LAHORE: According to The Express Tribune, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has decided to go ahead with local government elections in Punjab and in cantonment areas, directing its offices to immediately submit draft election programmes for approval.
The decision came at a meeting chaired by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja and attended by commission members Nisar Ahmed Durrani, Babar Hassan Bharwana and Justice (retd) Ikramullah Khan, along with the ECP secretary and senior officials.
The meeting was told that the Punjab government, replying on October 14 to the commission's October 2 letter, had proposed holding the polls in three phases in April 2027, citing dense fog and harsh winter weather in December and the start of Ramazan in February.
The commission called the reply unsatisfactory, noting that consultations under Section 219(3) of the Elections Act were completed on August 20, when the province agreed to hold the elections between December 15, 2026, and January 15, 2027. The CEC also voiced disappointment that the province had not supplied lists of officers to serve as district returning, returning and assistant returning officers, and ordered them submitted within a week.
On cantonment polls, the commission was told repeated letters to the Ministry of Defence had gone unanswered, and the CEC said he had also written to the prime minister. Citing the delay, the ECP ordered a draft schedule for cantonment areas as well. More on The Express Tribune.