LG elections in Islamabad likely to face fresh delay after legal amendments

ISLAMABAD: Local government (LG) elections in the federal capital are likely to be postponed yet again, marking a fifth consecutive delay, following the federal cabinet’s approval of a series of amendments to the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) Local Government Act, 2015.

The polls, scheduled for February 15, now appear increasingly unlikely to take place on time due to the newly approved legal changes. While the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has not yet officially announced a postponement, officials and political observers say the amendments have made it practically impossible to conduct elections next month.

On Friday, the federal cabinet approved 14 amendments to the Act, including a major structural change that replaces the Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad with “Town Corporations.” Under the revised framework, Islamabad will be divided into three town corporations, each broadly aligned with the territorial limits of one National Assembly constituency. The capital currently has three NA seats.

According to an official statement, the cabinet endorsed decisions taken by the Cabinet Committee for Legislative Cases (CCLC) on December 30, 2025, including confirmation of the Islamabad Capital Territory Local Government (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025. The government maintains that the changes are aimed at improving governance and service delivery in the capital.

However, the move has revived political controversy. When the ECP announced the February election schedule last month, the Islamabad chapter of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) claimed the government would avoid holding polls by introducing legal changes. The ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) rejected the allegation, arguing that amendments were necessary to make the local government system more effective and responsive.

The term of the last elected local government in Islamabad expired in February 2021. Since then, elections have been delayed repeatedly, leaving nearly 2.5 million residents without an elected local body. Citizens continue to face civic issues such as water shortages, poor road infrastructure and weak municipal oversight.

You May Also Like: AJK Government Claims Over 90pc Progress on Pact with Awami Action Committee

Over the past four years, the ECP has carried out delimitation exercises several times and issued election schedules on multiple occasions, only for them to be withdrawn later. In one instance, elections were cancelled just a day before polling.

Delays have occurred under successive governments. When PTI was in power, elections were required to be held within 120 days of the local government’s term ending, but the process was not completed. Subsequent governments under the Pakistan Democratic Movement also deferred polls, citing changes in the number of union councils.

Initially planned for 50 union councils, the number was later raised to 101 and then to 125, with further changes proposed to the number of general seats. Now, the latest amendments introducing town corporations have added another layer of uncertainty.

The only LG elections ever held in Islamabad took place in 2015–16, when the PML-N emerged victorious and Sheikh Anser Aziz was elected mayor. Whether residents will see elected local representatives anytime soon remains unclear as the legal and political deadlock continues.