ECP gives federal govt 2 weeks to submit formal request for cantonment board polls

AI Summary

Pakistan’s Election Commission has given the federal government two weeks to submit the formal request needed to hold local elections in 42 cantonment boards. The elections are overdue, and the commission says it may issue appropriate orders if the request is not received.

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has given the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) a fortnight to submit the federal government’s formal written request for local government elections in cantonment boards, warning that it would be constrained to pass appropriate orders if no response was received, it emerged on Friday. Cantonment boards last held LG elections in 2015 and 2021. Previously, the ECP said delimitation in all cantonments had been completed, but it was awaiting formal request and response from the Ministry of Defence, to which it had written several letters and also sent a letter to the prime minister without response. The direction was issued in an order passed on November 10 by a five-member ECP bench headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja. The order, available on the commission’s website, came during proceedings on the delay in holding local government elections in 42 cantonment boards across the country. The commission noted that the terms of the local governments in the cantonment boards had expired on April 11. Under Section 219(4) of the Elections Act, 2017, the ECP is required to hold local government elections within 120 days of the expiry of their terms. Accordingly, the elections were due by August 8. The ECP had issued a schedule for delimitation of wards in 42 cantonment boards on January 11, with the final delimitation list published on April 20, as per the order. A consultative meeting was held on April 15 with the additional secretary of the Ministry of Defence and the director general of the Military Lands and Cantonments Department (ML&CD) to discuss the election schedule and obtain the federal government’s formal request under Section 19-D(2) of the Cantonments Act, 1924, the order stated. The commission had directed the defence ministry to initiate a summary for obtaining the federal government’s request and forward it to the ECP. It subsequently wrote to the defence secretary on May 14 and June 16, with a reminder on June 3, seeking the required document, the order read. CEC Raja also wrote to the prime minister on July 16, seeking his intervention to ensure the submission of the formal request, it added. However, the federal government did not furnish the document, prompting the ECP to take up the matter on July 21. Representatives of the defence ministry and ML&CD expressed their readiness to facilitate the elections, while the commission directed them to pursue the matter with the PMO and report back on progress. The ECP said it continued to seek updates through letters and reminders issued between July 31 and October 9, but the required request remained pending. At a hearing on Oct 28, the legal adviser representing the respondents sought a two-week adjournment, citing the senior leadership’s engagement in important national and international affairs. The commission allowed the request and fixed the next hearing for Nov 10. At Tuesday’s hearing, Brigadier (retired) Falak Naz, who is the legal adviser to the defence ministry, and Additional Director General of ML&CD Khalil Ahmad Rana told the commission that the ministry was ready to hold the elections, but the matter remained pending with the PMO. They said the defence ministry had already forwarded the requisite request to the federal government and that there had been no delay on its part. However, no response had been received. They sought further time to pursue the matter. Meanwhile, the special secretary (policy) informed the commission that all necessary arrangements for the elections had been completed and requested it to pass an appropriate order. After examining the record and hearing the parties, the ECP observed that it had made repeated efforts through correspondence, reminders, meetings and hearings, but the federal government had yet to fulfil the requirement under Section 19-D(2) of the Cantonments Act. The commission said both it and the defence ministry were ready to conduct the elections, adding that ministry representatives had confirmed that the matter was pending with the PMO. It noted that Articles 140-A and 219(d) of the Constitution, read with Section 219 of the Elections Act, 2017, placed an obligation on the ECP to hold local government elections in the provinces, Islamabad and cantonment boards. The commission directed its office to once again approach the PMO through a formal letter, seeking submission of the federal government’s written request within a fortnight. It warned that failure to receive a response within the stipulated period would leave it with no option but to pass appropriate orders. The ECP also directed its office to take follow-up action and relist the matter after three weeks. Of the 42 cantonments across the country, 20 are located in Punjab — Rawalpindi, Chaklala, Taxila, Wah, Attock, Kamra, Sanjwal, Jhelum, Mangla, Kharian, Murree Hills, Sargodha, Shorkot, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Lahore, Walton, Okara, Multan and Bahawalpur. Khyber Pakhtunkhw