The Election Commission of Pakistan has ordered local government elections in 17 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa districts where constituency delimitation is complete. A five-member bench headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja issued the order on Wednesday and told the secretariat to submit an election programme for approval.
The districts are Peshawar, Nowshera, Charsadda, Mardan, Swabi, Kohat, Abbottabad, Haripur, Battagram, Torghar, Upper Kohistan, Lower Kohistan, Kolai Palas, Buner, Lower Chitral, Lower Dir and Upper Dir.
Delimitation is also complete in Bannu, Mohmand, Orakzai, Lakki Marwat, Tank and North Waziristan, but they are among the 12 districts placed under a 48-member Area Representative and Development Council when the federal government imposed emergency and governor's rule in the province on 11 October, so they are excluded for now.
The four-year terms of KP's local bodies expired in March and June this year. Section 219(4) of the Elections Act 2017 requires polls within 120 days of a term's expiry. Delimitation in Swat was halted after the district's division was announced.