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ISLAMABAD, Jan 19 (APP):The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has urged amendments to Section 219 of the Elections Act, 2017, to prevent federal and provincial governments from altering local government laws once an election cycle begins or a term expires.
In a letter issued on Monday, the Commission termed the matter a national concern, warning that abrupt ordinances and legislative changes repeatedly disrupt its constitutional mandate under Article 140A. Such interventions, it noted, create administrative hurdles and erode public trust in the democratic process.
The ECP proposed that fresh elections be held under the law in force when a local government completes its term or is dissolved. It emphasized that timely polls are essential to strengthen grassroots democracy, as local bodies deliver services and resolve community issues at the neighborhood level.
Highlighting government’s reluctance to conduct local elections on schedule, the Commission stressed that responsibility for timely polls rests jointly with the federal and provincial governments along with the ECP itself.