PTI Seeks 10 More Days for Islamabad LG Nominations
Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) has asked the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to extend the deadline for Islamabad LG nominations by at least 10 days. The party’s Islamabad chapter says its candidates were unable to obtain nomination papers on Friday, even though the commission had issued a schedule for elections in the capital’s 125 union councils.
PTI Islamabad president and core committee member Amir Mughal told Dawn that no staff was present at the offices of returning officers. He said watchmen at some schools and offices told candidates that the nomination papers would be available on Monday.
Mughal demanded an immediate extension of at least 10 days in the nomination-paper submission schedule. Candidates, he said, should be given sufficient time to obtain, complete and submit the forms. Without that time, he argued, the process would shut out candidates who had turned up on schedule and found no papers waiting for them.
Islamabad LG nominations: a contest PTI only recently joined
The demand comes days after PTI decided to contest the Islamabad local elections at all. Feature Pakistan reported that decision on October 28, in PTI to Contest Islamabad Local Elections on Dec 20. The party said then that it would field candidates in all 125 union councils, after consultations with regional, district and town organisations.
Mughal said PTI had held more than 25 meetings over the past three days, involving more than 400 office-bearers, before deciding to take part. He also said residents facing displacement from their ancestral land and homes, and people living in informal settlements, would express their grievances through the ballot.
Polling is scheduled for December 20. Under the schedule announced by the ECP, nomination papers were to be filed between November 2 and 6. Proposed amendments to the Islamabad local government law had already cast doubt on that date earlier in October, as reported in Islamabad LG Amendments Cast Doubt on Dec 20 Polls. That window opens on Monday, which is also the day Mughal says candidates were told the papers would become available. The overlap between the promised availability date and the filing window is at the heart of the party’s complaint: if papers only appear on Monday, candidates lose the preparation time the schedule appeared to give them.
Allegations about delays and powers
Mughal also questioned the conduct of the local elections. He alleged that the government and the ECP were preparing to delay or avoid the polls for the fifth time. He criticised the legal framework under which the elections are being held, claiming that elected local representatives would have limited authority while major powers remained with the bureaucracy.
He further alleged that the same Election Commission leadership was overseeing the local elections that had conducted the 2024 general elections, which he said were rigged. Those claims are PTI’s allegations, and Dawn reported them as such. The ECP has not, in the Dawn report, responded to the extension demand or to the allegations about delay.
Why the schedule matters
What happens next
Frequently asked questions
What has PTI asked the ECP to do?
PTI’s Islamabad chapter has asked the Election Commission of Pakistan to extend the deadline for submission of nomination papers for the capital’s local elections by at least 10 days.
Why does PTI say an extension is needed?
PTI Islamabad president Amir Mughal says candidates were unable to obtain nomination papers on Friday, as no staff was present at returning officers’ offices. Watchmen at some schools and offices told candidates the papers would be available on Monday.
When are Islamabad’s local elections?
Polling is scheduled for December 20, 2026, across the capital’s 125 union councils. Nomination papers were scheduled to be filed between November 2 and 6.
Is PTI contesting the elections?
Yes. PTI decided to contest the elections after consultations with its organisations, and says it will field candidates in all 125 union councils.
Has the ECP responded to the demand?
The Dawn report carries no response from the ECP to the extension demand or to PTI’s allegations about delay. The commission’s decision is still awaited.
