Punjab asks ECP for more time to conduct municipal elections

LAHORE: The Punjab government has requested the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to grant additional time for holding municipal elections in the province, sources said on Friday.

The request was made during a meeting convened by the ECP to review arrangements for the long-overdue local government polls in Punjab.

According to sources, the Punjab government informed the commission that the four-week period initially given for the completion of delimitation rules was insufficient, and sought an extension of two and a half months to finalize the process.

“The provincial government has asked for time until January 2026 to complete the delimitation work,” ECP sources said, quoting the Secretary for Local Government, who maintained that Punjab is a large province and delimitation cannot be completed within four weeks.

Earlier, the Punjab government had announced that local government elections would be held within three to four months.

Provincial Minister for Local Government Zeeshan Rafique, speaking to the media at the Civil Secretariat, reiterated that the provincial administration was ready for the elections.

He added that the Election Commission would issue the schedule once the delimitation process is completed. “All preparations from the provincial government’s side are complete. As soon as the ECP finalizes the delimitation, elections will be held,” the minister said.