New schedule notified for LG delimitation in Islamabad

ISLAMABAD: Election Commission of Pakistan has notified a new schedule of delimitation for upcoming local government (LG) polls in Islamabad, ARY News reported on Thursday.

The commission stated in its notification that the delimitation-related work will be continued by January 7, whereas, the initial publication will be issued on January 8.

The ECP will accept objections against the delimitations from January 9 to 23 and the final publication will be issued on January 16.

After completing the delimitations, the election commission will immediately issue the schedule of the Islamabad LG polls.

READ: LOCAL BODIES ELECTION: ECP ISSUES DELIMITATION SCHEDULE

In November, the federal cabinet had approved the amended Islamabad local government (LG) law. Federal Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar had said that the new Islamabad LG law will create the most empowered local government in the history of Pakistan.

He had said that for the first time, the government has introduced a law that fully meets the requirements of Article 140a of the Constitution which requires empowered local governments.

Earlier in the month, ECP had postponed the delimitation of the constituencies in Sindh province at the request of the Sindh government, raising fears regarding a delay in the LG elections.

The commission had previously issued a schedule for the delimitations, directing the Sindh government to conduct legislation on the matter, however, it has not yet been implemented, following the governor’s refusal to give go-ahead to it.

READ: ECP EXTENDS DATE OF VOTER VERIFICATION DRIVE

The ECP had announced that it was deferring the delimitation of union councils, union committees, and wards in districts of the province.

Besides allowing delimitation at the UC level, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had barred the Sindh government from changing the limits of the districts and urban and rural areas for the delimitations process ahead of the local bodies elections.

According to the ECP, the Sindh government could not change the limits of the districts, town committees, and municipal committees. The new delimitations will be held as per the previous limits, the commission said.

It is pertinent to mention here that the local council polls will be announced after the fresh delimitation of constituencies in Sindh.