CEC Says Govt Trying to Sabotage Islamabad LG Polls
Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja has accused the federal government of trying to sabotage the Islamabad LG polls, while making it clear that the elections will go ahead on December 20 as scheduled.
Dawn reported that Raja made the remarks on Thursday during a hearing on alleged violations of the electoral code in the NA-77 by-election. The ECP has already issued the schedule for the Islamabad LG polls, but the chief election commissioner said the federal government had ordered that teachers would not be assigned duty.
“Where will the ECP bring staff from?” Raja asked during the hearing. He added that the commission issues directions to the prime minister and the government, and that directions do not come from them to the ECP.
Islamabad LG polls and the teachers order
The Islamabad LG polls carry a long history of delay. The last local government term in the federal capital expired in February 2021, and the ECP was supposed to hold fresh elections within 120 days. Instead, the federal government and the ECP spent the past several years carrying out delimitations and announcing election schedules, only to postpone the polls later.
The ECP has now fixed polling for December 20. The commission has published a full schedule, with nomination papers, scrutiny, appeals and the final list of candidates all set before polling day. Polling will run from 8am to 4pm, and results are due between December 21 and 24.
Teachers form the backbone of polling staff in Pakistan, and without them the commission would struggle to staff hundreds of polling stations across the capital.
“The federal government wants to sabotage the Islamabad local government elections,” the chief election commissioner said. “I make it clear that local government elections will be held in Islamabad.”
The NA-77 by-election hearing
The hearing itself concerned alleged code of conduct violations in the NA-77 by-election. A three-member bench headed by Raja heard the case on Thursday.
ECP Secretary Omar Hamid told the bench that a candidate of the Pakistan Markazi Muslim League had filed an application with the district returning officer, stating that Information Minister Attaullah Tarar and Farooq Tarar had visited NA-77. Special Secretary Zafar Iqbal said the application stated that the information minister had visited the constituency and violated the code of conduct, an offence that can carry a two-year sentence.
The CEC asked where the information minister was, as he had been summoned in his personal capacity. Counsel for Tarar, Sajeel Swati, said the minister was on an official foreign visit, accompanying the prime minister to Turkiye. Raja remarked that the minister only had to do media coverage on the visit.
The bench also warned PML-N MPA Qudsia Batool, who had been accused of violating the election code. She said she was in her car and about to leave when the video of her was made. Raja told her that her position as MPA could go, and that a contempt notice could be issued against her.
The Gujranwala deputy commissioner also appeared and said he had no information about Tarar’s visit. Raja observed that the minister had come by helicopter, so a helipad must have been prepared, and asked how the deputy commissioner did not know a minister was coming. The deputy commissioner replied that the helicopter had landed in the cantonment, which was not in his jurisdiction.
Action ordered against three officers
Raja said a fact-finding inquiry had been conducted into the code of conduct violation, and a copy would be given to all sides. He said action would be taken against the deputy commissioner, the returning officer and the district monitoring officer.
On the request of Tarar’s counsel, the CEC gave 10 days for the minister to appear. The hearing was adjourned till December 1, when all members will appear in person.
Why it matters
The clash between the ECP and the federal government comes at a sensitive moment. The commission has also fixed February 7 for local government elections in Punjab, so a dispute over polling staff in Islamabad could spill over into the wider local government calendar.
For voters in the capital, the CEC’s assurance matters most. Islamabad has waited more than five years for a local government, and the December 20 date is the firmest commitment the city has had.
Frequently asked questions
When are the Islamabad LG polls?
Polling is scheduled for December 20, from 8am to 4pm. The ECP will announce results between December 21 and 24.
Why did the CEC accuse the government of sabotage?
Raja said the federal government had ordered that teachers would not be assigned duty in the polls. He argued that without teachers as polling staff, the commission would struggle to run the elections.
What happened in the NA-77 hearing?
The ECP heard alleged code of conduct violations in the NA-77 by-election. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar was summoned in person but was absent, and the hearing was adjourned till December 1.
