The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has suspended the schedule for local government elections in the federal capital, putting the electoral process on hold over legal questions surrounding constituency delimitation and the applicable local government law.
Justice Umer Mujib Malik issued the stay order, suspending the election schedule after hearing a petition challenging the legality of the local government elections in Islamabad.
The development came after the court reserved its verdict on the maintainability of the petition seeking to halt the electoral process.
During the hearing, counsel for the petitioner, Adil Aziz Qazi, argued that fresh delimitation was carried out in 2024, following which the Election Commission issued the election schedule. However, a new Local Government Ordinance was introduced in 2026, creating uncertainty over the legal framework governing the elections.
He informed the court that the ordinance had been approved by the federal cabinet and forwarded to Parliament but had not yet become law.
The lawyer argued that the introduction of the ordinance had effectively changed the previous election framework, including the number of metropolitan corporations, while the earlier delimitation arrangements were not properly restored before the election schedule was issued.
Under the existing Local Government Act, Islamabad has one Metropolitan Corporation, whereas the new ordinance proposed three, he told the court.
Justice Umer Mujib Malik questioned the legal basis for the fresh delimitation and sought clarification regarding the process followed by the authorities.
The petitioner’s counsel further alleged irregularities in the formation of union councils and wards, claiming that certain wards had only two registered voters, making it difficult to fulfil the minimum requirements for submitting nomination papers.
He also argued that voters had not been provided with updated electoral lists by the time the election schedule was announced, leaving many unaware of their assigned wards.
According to the counsel, the nomination period was subsequently extended until November 8, while only a limited number of candidates had submitted their nomination papers.
During the proceedings, the judge questioned whether the petitioner could identify the specific legal provision requiring proposers and seconders of candidates to belong to the same ward.
The counsel requested the court to suspend the electoral process, arguing that allowing it to continue could result in candidates incurring substantial expenses before the legality of the process was determined.
Justice Umer Mujib Malik observed that the petitioner was essentially alleging that the entire process was being conducted hastily and in violation of the law.
Following the hearing, the Islamabad High Court issued an interim stay order and suspended the local government election schedule.
The suspension comes after the Election Commission had issued the election programme on October 21, 2026, under the Islamabad Local Government Act 2015.
The latest court order puts the electoral timeline on hold while legal questions surrounding the delimitation process and the applicable legislative framework remain under consideration.