ECP postpones LG polls in Islamabad

Election Commission of Pakistan on Tuesday once again delayed local government (LG) polls in Islamabad.
The polls were scheduled to be held on December 31. The electoral body announced a short order on its reserved verdict. The federal government last week notified an increase in the number of Union Councils (UCs) in Islamabad.
The notification had been issued a day after the ministry sent a summary to the federal government which the sources said was approved through circulation.
Following this, the ECP summoned an emergency meeting to deliberate on the situation and at first decided not to delay LG elections in the federal capital.
But on December 24, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) nullified the ECP’s order.
“The election commission should revisit its decision and hear the government and other parties on December 27. For correcting the voter lists, the affected parties should also be heard on December 28,” IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq said.
However, the commission went for a review of its decision again and finally decided to delay the local bodies’ elections once again.