ISLAMABAD: During a hearing of a petition filed against delays in the local government elections in Islamabad, Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja remarked that unfortunately the current government has been neglecting local governance.
The hearing at the Election Commission, chaired by Raja, focused on delays in holding local body elections. The five-member commission convened, but Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi could not attend due to illness. The Secretary Interior represented the ministry instead.
The Chief Election Commissioner excused the Interior Minister’s absence for the day. During the proceedings, Election Commission officials stated that including Union Council (UC) names in the draft notification is the Commission’s mandate, not the Secretary’s.
They pointed out that the notification was incorrect, and details such as town numbers and ward information were either missing or unnecessarily altered (the number of UCs was changed from 125 to 130).
The Secretary apologized for the contempt notice, noting that the draft notification for Islamabad local elections had already been submitted to the Cabinet for approval, and feedback from the Ministry of Law had been received.
The Chief Election Commissioner highlighted that no local elections have been held in Islamabad since February 2021.
While previous governments responded positively to local governance matters, the current administration has ignored the Election Commission and local governance, prompting a contempt notice.
With the Secretary present, the Chief Election Commissioner withdrew the notice and announced the formation of a committee comprising Election Commission and ICT officials to ensure elections proceed correctly.
He emphasized that serious steps would be taken for elections in Islamabad and Punjab, with no further delays. The case’s next hearing was adjourned for further proceedings.
