Islamabad High Court suspends the Election Commission’s local government election schedule pending further proceedings in a petition challenging the legal framework and delimitation process.
ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has suspended the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) schedule for local government elections in Islamabad until the next hearing on November 26, 2026, after a petition challenged the legality of the electoral process under the existing local government law.
The interim order was issued on November 12, 2026, in Writ Petition No. 6136 of 2026, filed by Ch. Amjad Ali against the Election Commission of Pakistan and other respondents.
According to the court’s order sheet, the petitioner challenged an earlier order dated October 21, 2026, through which the Election Commission decided to conduct Islamabad’s local government elections under the Islamabad Capital Territory Local Government Act, 2015. The petitioner also challenged the election schedule issued by the commission on the same date.
During the proceedings, the petitioner’s counsel argued that the legal framework governing Islamabad’s local government elections had undergone significant changes following the introduction of the Islamabad Capital Territory Local Government Ordinance, 2026.
According to the counsel, the ordinance introduced three town corporations, changed the method of constituting and delimiting union councils, replaced the nine-ward structure with delimitation based on census blocks and increased the number of union councils from 125 to 130.
The counsel further submitted that the Election Commission had issued revised delimitation timelines on August 25, 2026, and completed the process by publishing the final list of 130 union councils on October 14, 2026.
However, the petitioner’s legal team argued that the 2026 ordinance ceased to have effect after an extension of 120 days under Article 89 of the Constitution, resulting in the revival of the original Islamabad Capital Territory Local Government Act, 2015.
The counsel maintained that the Election Commission subsequently decided to hold elections under the revived 2015 law without completing fresh delimitation of the 125 union councils and their nine wards. The petitioner argued that fresh delimitation and preparation of electoral rolls in accordance with the applicable law were necessary before elections could legally proceed.
The petition also raised concerns about the constitutional requirements governing local government elections, with the petitioner’s counsel arguing that proceeding without the required delimitation would violate Article 218(3) of the Constitution and result in unnecessary expenditure of public funds.
After hearing the initial arguments, the court observed that the points raised required consideration and ordered notices to be issued to the respondents through registered post and TCS. The respondents were directed to submit their reports and paragraph-wise comments before the next hearing.
Meanwhile, the court ordered that the operation of the Election Commission’s October 21 order and the revised local government election schedule remain suspended until the next date of hearing, November 26, 2026.
The matter remains pending before the Islamabad High Court, and the interim order does not constitute a final decision on the petition.
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