IHC reserves verdict on pleas seeking suspension LG polls in capital

ISLAMABAD, Nov 12 (APP):The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday reserved its verdict on petitions seeking to halt local government elections in the federal capital and suspend the election schedule.

During the hearing, the petitioner’s counsel argued that if the election schedule was not suspended, candidates would have spent millions of rupees on their campaigns.

Justice Umair Majid Malik remarked that if someone chose to spend millions of rupees, it was not the court’s responsibility. He observed that it was alarming if candidates spent Rs10 million on an election but declared expenditure of only Rs 100,000.

Justice Umair Majid Malik heard a petition filed by Chaudhry Amjad Ali. The petitioner’s counsel, Adil Aziz Qazi, submitted that new delimitation was carried out in 2024, following which the election schedule was announced. However, a new Local Government Ordinance was introduced in 2026.

The court asked whether the ordinance had become law. The counsel replied that it had been approved by the cabinet and forwarded to Parliament.

He argued that the introduction of the new ordinance led to withdrawal of the previous election schedule and cancellation of the earlier delimitation. While the existing Act provides for one metropolitan corporation, the ordinance envisages three, he added.

The counsel further contended that after the ordinance ceased to operate, the election schedule was issued without restoring the previous delimitation.

The court observed that the key question was under which legal order the new delimitation had been conducted.
The counsel said the constituencies for the upcoming elections had mixed union councils and wards.

The court questioned whether an election could be held in such a ward and asked the counsel to identify the legal provision requiring the proposer and seconder to belong to the same ward.

The counsel also argued that voter lists had not been provided by the time the election schedule was announced, leaving voters unaware of their respective wards. He said very few candidates initially filed nomination papers, prompting an extension of the deadline to the 8th.

Justice Umair Majid Malik asked whether the counsel was alleging that the entire process was being conducted in haste and in violation of the law.

The counsel requested the court to suspend the election process, stating that a stay order had also been granted in an earlier proceeding.