ISLAMABAD: Dec 27, 2022: The local body elections in Islamabad have been postponed indefinitely.
The local body elections in Islamabad were scheduled for December 31, 2022.
The process of the local bodies elections in Islamabad had already started and the candidates were busy running their campaigns.
The postponement of local body elections has brought desperation for the candidates who were running for these elections. The delay of the local body elections in Islamabad has also annoyed the Chief Election Commissioner, Sultan Sikander Raja, who has issued a warning to the government over delaying the local body elections in Islamabad.
The Chief Election Commissioner has conveyed to the federal government that under article 148 of the constitution, it was the duty of the commission to hold local body elections in Islamabad. He asked the government to stop using delaying tactics and get ready to hold local body elections in Islamabad.
The government had announced holding local body elections in the federal capital some three months ago, but it had second thoughts after the announcement of the schedule by the commission.
Just a week before the local body elections in Islamabad, the government introduced a bill in the parliament to increase local body seats in Islamabad from 100 to 125 seats.
The Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI) has vehemently criticized the government for delaying local body elections in Islamabad. Its leadership has claimed that the government is fearing defeat in local body elections in Islamabad and the same fear forced the federal government to postpone these important elections.
PTI senior leaders, Asad Umar, Babar Awan, and Ali Nawaz, held a press conference in Islamabad. These leaders condemned ECP‘s decision to postpone local body elections in Islamabad and announced going to the court against the postponement of local body elections in Islamabad.
Media also lashed out at the government over the postponement of the local body elections in Islamabad.