The PTI on Thursday approached the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) with a request for a three-day extension to the submission deadline for nomination papers in local body elections in Islamabad.
According to the application, submitted to the ECP’s Diary Branchand available with Dawn, Baldiat Committee Secretary Anjum Shahzad Tanoli requested that the chief election commissioner extend the deadline to December 27.
“With due respect, this is to draw your kind attention towards the schedule of local body elections in Islamabad, wherein the last date for submission of nomination papers has been fixed as 27th December,“ the application read.
It noted that the government announced a local holiday on December 26, stating that it would significantly affect the process of filing nomination papers.
“Islamabad comprises 125 union councils (UCs), and in each union council, at least nine councillors are required to submit their nomination papers,“ the application stated.
“The announced holiday will create serious administrative and logistical difficulties for candidates, proposers, and concerned offices, leading to unnecessary congestion and hardship on the final day.”
Based on the delay caused by a public holiday, Tanoli requested that the ECP extend the deadline to file nomination papers by at least three days “in the larger interest of transparency, fairness, and effective participation in the democratic process”.
PTI Regional President Amir Mughal, while talking to Dawn, said that there is insufficient time for the nomination process in the local government elections’ first phase. The poll covers 125 UCs and 1,125 councillors.
He also criticised amendments made to the Local Government Act of 2015, claiming that the law was altered with malicious intent to promote rigging and horse-trading.
Mughal further highlighted that direct elections for the chairman and vice-chairman posts had been abolished, and a new law was introduced to “manipulate councillors’ loyalty after they win, pressuring them to change their loyalties”.
“Despite these challenges, PTI is committed to actively participating in local elections as the people of Islamabad have always supported PTI and rejected the PML-N,” he claimed.
Mughal also emphasised that due to the ECP’s decisionto revoke the PTI’s election symbol, all party workers have been instructed to declare themselves as candidates under the “Sunni Ittehad Council” banner in their nomination papers.
