IHC reserves verdict on plea to halt Islamabad local polls

The Islamabad High Court has reserved its decision on whether a petition seeking to halt local government elections in the federal capital is maintainable, according to Express News. The court also reserved its decision on a miscellaneous application seeking suspension of the election schedule.

Justice Umair Majeed Malik heard the petition, which was filed by Chaudhry Amjad Ali. His counsel, Adil Aziz Qazi, argued that new constituencies were delineated in 2024 and an election schedule was then issued.

The counsel said a new Local Government Election Ordinance was issued in 2026. He said it was approved by the cabinet and reached Parliament but is not yet law. He said the earlier schedule was withdrawn when the ordinance was issued, and the new constituencies were also cancelled.

He said the Act provides for one metropolitan corporation while the ordinance provides for three. A new schedule was issued after the ordinance lapsed, without restoring the old constituencies, he said.

The counsel also said some constituencies mixed union councils and wards. He said ward number two of one union council had only two people, while at least three are needed for a candidate, proposer and seconder. He added that the voter list was not provided until the schedule date and few people had filed nomination papers before the date was extended to 8.

Asking the court to halt the process, the counsel argued that candidates would have spent crores of rupees if the elections go ahead later. Justice Malik remarked, in the words reported by Express News: "What is the court to do if someone spends crores of rupees?" He called it alarming if people spend crores on an election and then say they spent a lakh.

Separately, 24 News reported that Jamaat-e-Islami approached the IHC against a possible postponement of the December 20 polls. JI Islamabad Ameer Engineer Nasrullah Randhawa told a press conference on Thursday that the party had filed a writ petition. He said more than 3,500 candidates had submitted nomination papers and scrutiny was under way. He said the party would hold a sit-in and street protests if the elections are postponed.