The Punjab government formally informed the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday that upcoming local government elections will be conducted on a party basis. This confirmation includes the issuance of official party tickets to candidates, a key detail in ongoing legal proceedings.
The statement was made during a hearing before Justice Sultan Tanveer Ahmed. The case involves multiple petitions challenging the Punjab Local Government Act 2025. The province’s assistant advocate general appeared in court, stating the local government department had submitted its report to the LHC.
This development follows a decision by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in October. The commission had resolved to hold the LG polls under the provisions of the new 2025 act.
During the hearing, ECP Law DG Khurram Shahzad represented the electoral body. He provided significant context, revealing the ECP had written 80 letters to the Punjab government over the past four years concerning the local elections.
Read: FAFEN Reports Campaign Violations, Results Transparency in Recent By-Elections
“We are bound to hold elections under whatever act the government brings,” Shahzad told the court. Furthermore, he noted that the provincial government had set a January 10 deadline to complete preliminary election arrangements.
The petitioner’s lawyer, Sheikh Imtiaz, requested that the court formally record the government’s statement on party-based polls. The petitions argue that amendments to the 2017 Local Government Act led to non-party-based elections. According to the plea, this practice undermines fundamental democratic norms. Following the arguments, the court adjourned the hearing until Tuesday.
