The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday suspended the upcoming local government elections in the federal capital, putting the Election Commission of Pakistan's (ECP) schedule on hold until November 26.
Justice Umair Majeed Malik issued the interim order during a hearing on a writ petition filed by Chaudhry Amjad Ali, which challenged the ECP's October 21 order and the resulting election schedule for the Islamabad Capital Territory. The petitioner's legal team argued that the current constituency delimitations, conducted for 130 Union Councils under the lapsed Islamabad Capital Territory Local Government Ordinance, 2026, cannot lawfully support elections under the revived Islamabad Capital Territory Local Government Act, 2015. They contended that fresh demarcations adhering strictly to the original 2015 law and the Elections Act, 2017, must be completed before any polls can take place.
In response to the court order, the ECP issued a notification suspending its election programme for Islamabad. The court has directed all respondents to submit reports and para-wise comments ahead of the next hearing scheduled for November 26.
