The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has issued a fortnight deadline to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) to submit the federal government’s formal written request for local government elections in cantonment boards. The commission warned that it would be constrained to pass appropriate orders if no response is received within that timeframe.
The direction was issued in an order passed on November 10 by a five-member bench headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja. The order was issued during a hearing regarding 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 expired on April 11, 2026. 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, meaning the polls were due by August 8.
The ECP had issued a schedule for delimitation of wards in all 42 cantonment boards on January 11, with the final delimitation list published on April 20. 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.
During that meeting, the commission directed the defence ministry to initiate the requisite summary for obtaining the federal government’s written request and forward it to the ECP. The commission subsequently wrote to the defence secretary on May 14 and June 16, followed by a reminder on June 3, seeking the required document. Chief Election Commissioner Raja also wrote to the prime minister on July 16, requesting his intervention to ensure the submission of the formal request.
Despite repeated correspondence, the federal government did not furnish the document, prompting the ECP to take up the matter on July 21. During those proceedings, representatives of the Ministry of Defence and ML&CD expressed their readiness to facilitate the elections. The commission directed them to pursue the matter with the PMO and apprise it of the progress. The ECP continued to seek updates through letters and reminders issued between July 31 and October 9, but the required formal request remained pending.
At a hearing on October 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 November 10.
At the November 10 hearing, Brigadier (retired) Falak Naaz, the legal adviser to the Ministry of Defence, appeared alongside ML&CD Additional Director General Khalil Ahmad Rana. They told the commission that the ministry was ready to hold the elections, but the matter remained pending with the PMO. Naaz stated that the ministry had already forwarded the requisite request to the federal government for further consideration and that there had been no delay on its part. He sought further time to pursue the matter and obtain the required response.
Meanwhile, the special secretary (policy) informed the commission that all necessary preparations and arrangements for holding the elections had been completed and requested it to pass an appropriate order.
After hearing the arguments and examining the record, the ECP observed that it had made all possible 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 noted that both the ECP and the Ministry of Defence were ready to conduct the elections, while ministry representatives had confirmed that the matter was pending with the PMO.
The commission observed 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 Capital Territory and cantonment boards. To fulfil its constitutional mandate, 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 Pakhtunkhwa has 11 cantonments—Peshawar, Nowshera, Cherat, Risalpur, Mardan, Kohat, Bannu, Dera Ismail Khan, Abbottabad, Havelian and Murree Gallies. Sindh has eight cantonments—Pano Aqil, Hyderabad, Karachi, Clifton, Manora, Malir, Faisal and Korangi Creek. In Balochistan, there are three cantonments—Quetta, Loralai and Zhob.
