ISLAMABAD — The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday suspended the upcoming local government elections in the federal capital, putting the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) latest election schedule on hold until the next hearing. Last week, a writ petition was filed by Chaudhry Amjad Ali, who had challenged the ECP’s short order and the subsequent election schedule , both dated Oct 21, 2026, for holding local government elections in the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT).
He argued that the polls, scheduled for Dec 20, could not be held until the legal status of the existing constituency delimitation was conclusively determined. A single-member bench comprising Justice Umair Majeed Malik granted the interim relief while hearing the writ petition on Friday. “Operation of the impugned order dated Oct 21, 2026, and the impugned election schedule dated Oct 21, 2026, as revised by the Election Commission, shall remain suspended until the next date of hearing,” the court order read.
The court also issued notices to the respondents, directing them to submit their reports and para-wise comments before the next hearing, scheduled for Nov 26, 2026. Advocate Barrister Qazi Adil Aziz appeared for the petitioner, along with Malik Talha and Muhammad Yaseen Iqbal. They argued that under Articles 140-A(2), 218(3) and 219(d) of the Constitution, the ECP was “duty-bound to hold local government elections honestly, justly, fairly and in accordance with the law”.