Islamabad LG polls postponed as ECP withdraws election schedule

ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) - The local government elections in Islamabad have been postponed as the Election Commission of Pakistan has withdrawn the election schedule.

According to a notification issued by the ECP, the schedule for local government elections in Islamabad has been withdrawn due to the promulgation of a new Local Government Ordinance.

It is pertinent to note that the government issued the Islamabad Local Government (Amendment) Ordinance on January 10, under which the structure of the local government system in the federal capital was changed.

The ECP stated in its notification that the mode of local government elections has also changed as a result of the amendments, necessitating the withdrawal of the election schedule for Islamabad.

Earlier, the Election Commission had announced that local government elections in Islamabad would be held on February 15.

ECP announces local government elections in Islamabad

Meanwhile, the Islamabad High Court has issued notices to the federal government and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in response to a petition filed by Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) against the Islamabad Local Government (Amendment) Ordinance, 2026.

The petition was heard by Justice Muhammad Azam Khan, who directed both parties to submit their responses.

Jamaat-e-Islami Islamabad President Nasrullah Randhawa, along with his legal team, appeared before the court.

The petitioner’s lawyer argued that the election commission had announced the schedule for the local government elections in Islamabad, setting the date for February 15, 2026.

However, the President of Pakistan issued the Local Government (Amendment) Ordinance on February 10, 2026, just three days before the National Assembly session.