QUETTA: Four political parties on Wednesday approached the Balochistan High Court (BHC), seeking the postponement of local government elections in Quetta scheduled for December 28, a move that has highlighted rare consensus among rival political groups on electoral concerns in the provincial capital.
Separate constitutional petitions were filed by the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Balochistan Awami Party (BAP), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Awami National Party (ANP) after the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) rejected requests to delay the polls. The elections are set to be held for the Quetta Metropolitan Corporation (QMC) and District Council Quetta.
In their petitions, the parties cited multiple grounds for seeking a postponement, including severe cold weather conditions, alleged deficiencies in voters’ lists, incomplete delimitation of constituencies and apprehensions regarding the prevailing law and order situation. Petitioners argued that these factors could undermine voter participation and the transparency of the electoral process.
PML-N leader Younis Baloch initially claimed that the petitions had also been filed by the Pashtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP). However, the party later denied this assertion. PkMAP spokesman Faysal Kakar told Dawn that the party had not sought any delay and was actively campaigning for its candidates in the upcoming elections.
Similarly, Pashtoonkhwa National Awami Party (PkNAP) provincial president Nasrullah Zerey also denied filing any petition for postponement. In contrast, ANP’s parliamentary leader in the Balochistan Assembly, Zamarak Khan Piralizai, confirmed that his party had formally approached the court seeking a delay in the Quetta district local bodies elections.
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The legal challenge comes amid broader political debate over the timing and framework of local government polls in the province. Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti has previously opposed holding local government elections in Quetta at this stage. He had urged the ECP to postpone the polls, arguing that the provincial government was in the process of introducing new legislation to make local governments more effective.
The chief minister has also pointed out that the tenure of existing local bodies across Balochistan will expire over the next nine months, questioning the rationale of conducting elections in Quetta alone. He described holding elections for the QMC under the current law as unnecessary, advocating instead for polls under the proposed new legal framework.
PPP, PML-N, BAP and PkMAP approach Balochistan High Court. https://t.co/hZ9Q3d3AjK
— Dawn.com (@dawn_com) December 18, 2025
Earlier, the BHC had directed the ECP to hold local government elections in Quetta, dismissing petitions against the process. Following the court’s order, the provincial election commissioner announced the election schedule, fixing December 28 as polling day. Subsequent appeals by the provincial government and the chief minister to the ECP for postponement were rejected.
The BHC is now expected to take up the newly filed petitions and determine whether the elections should proceed as scheduled or be deferred.
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