ECP orders local polls in KP, exempts 12 emergency-hit districts
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has ordered local government elections to be held without delay in 23 districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where the delimitation process has been completed, while excluding 12 districts affected by the state of emergency.
In its reserved verdict announced by a five-member bench headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja on Wednesday, the ECP directed the provincial government and its election authorities to prepare an election schedule for the eligible districts.
The commission also ordered that a fresh delimitation schedule be issued immediately for areas where the process remains incomplete.
The ECP directed the provincial government and relevant administrative authorities to ensure all necessary security and administrative arrangements for holding the elections.
During the hearing, commission officials had informed the bench that basic preparations for local government elections had been completed in most districts of the province.
The local government system in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has remained inactive since the constitutional terms of local bodies expired earlier this year.
The four-year term of local representatives elected in the first phase ended in March 2026, while the terms of those elected in the second phase expired in June 2026.
According to the ECP, amendments to local government laws introduced by the provincial government, along with administrative issues, affected the delimitation process and prevented the elections from being held on time.
The situation in the province became more complicated in recent months after the federal government imposed a state of emergency under Article 232 of the Constitution and governor’s rule under Article 234.
The provincial administration had asked the ECP to postpone elections in 12 districts, citing law and order concerns and the deployment of troops in some areas after the emergency.
During the previous hearing, the chief election commissioner had maintained that there was no justification for delaying elections in districts where all legal and administrative requirements, including delimitation, had been completed.
The commission had reserved its verdict, which was announced on Wednesday.