The Election Commission of Pakistan was ordered by the Islamabad High Court on Friday to hold local body elections in the federal capital today (Saturday). However, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah claimed that the federal government was unable to organise local government elections in Islamabad in such a short amount of time.
Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir of the IHC issued the ruling after hearing identical petitions from the PTI and the Jamaat-i-Islami challenging the ECP’s earlier this week announced decision.
The court quickly overturned the Dec. 27 order from the Election Commission of Pakistan. “It is ordered that the local government elections in the Islamabad Capital Territory be held by the Election Commission of Pakistan on the dates already stated.
The court further demanded that the federal government give the electoral body full support so that it can carry out the Constitutionally required elections for local bodies.
The federal capital’s 101 union council elections must be held on the planned date, the election watchdog was directed by the court.
The verdict on the petitions challenging the ECP’s decision to postpone the elections had been reserved by Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir earlier in the day.
Stan’s Dec. 27 order. The statement added, “The Election Commission of Pakistan is directed to hold the local government elections in the Islamabad Capital Territory as per the schedule already set, i.e. on December 31, 2022.”
The court further demanded that the federal government give the electoral body full support so that it can carry out the Constitutionally required elections for local bodies.
The federal capital’s 101 union council elections must be held on the planned date, the election watchdog was directed by the court.
The verdict on the petitions challenging the ECP’s decision to postpone the elections had been reserved by Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir earlier in the day.
The ECP had agreed to hold local body elections in Islamabad in seven to ten days during the case hearing, but held the province and federal governments accountable for failing to organise local body polls on time.
The comment was made by the electoral body in a written statement it provided to the IHC in a lawsuit involving the capital’s postponement of the LB elections.
Local government elections in Islamabad will not be held by the federal government, according to Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, just minutes after the court ordered them to be held today (December 31).
The federal minister told a private news channel, “We respect the court (Islamabad High Court), but holding the polls is not feasible as the arrangements cannot be made in such a short amount of time.
He continued by saying that up to 1,000 voting places required protection, that election supplies had not yet been placed at the locations, and that polling place workers would also be required. It’s impossible, she said.
The minister further stated that the centre would challenge the ruling internally since “ground realities” prevented the administration from ensuring the elections happened. The federal administration is set to submit the internal appeal. It has a copy of the verdict that has been attested.
“The order was delivered after business hours in the evening. How are the [elections] preparations able to be made? When asked about his hopes for the petition’s approval, Sanaullah responded, “What can be a stronger cause than this.
While noting that instructions should be “implementable” and that the most recent IHC judgement will ensure “that the elections do not take place,” the minister claimed he was not surprised by the order.
There is no alternative way to hold the elections, according to Sanaullah, who disqualified himself from aiding the Election Commission and called for the release of a fresh polling timetable.
