ISLAMABAD / LAHORE: Putting its foot down after four years of delay, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday rejected Punjab`s plea to postpone local government elections until April next year and decided to issue the schedule immediately.

Earlier this month, the electoral body proposed holding local government elections in Punjab on Dec 14 and sent a draft schedule to the Punjab chiefsecretaryfor consultation.

However, the Punjab government onWednesday proposed holding the elections in three phases on April 4, 11 and 18, citing smog, dense fog and adverse winter weather conditions expected during December and January.

On Thursday, the ECP rejected the provincial government`s request. The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja.

Commission members Nisar Ahmed Durrani, Babar Hassan Bharwana and retired Justice Ikramullah Khan, as well as ECP Secretary Omar Hamid Khan and other senior officers, attended the meeting.

The commission was briefed that thePunjab government had responded on Oct 14 to the ECP`s Oct 2 letter and draft election programme.

Citing dense fog and severe cold in December, followed by the start of Ramazan in February, the provincial government proposed holding local government elections in three phases in April 2027.

The ECP termed the provincial government`s response unsatisfactory, saying consultations had been completed on Aug 20, when the provincial authorities had agreed to hold local government elections in Punjab between Dec 15 and Jan 15, 2027.

`Now, the provincial government wants to change the proposed timeframe,` the commission said.

The statement added that keeping its constitutional and legal responsibilities in view, the ECP had decided to hold local government elections in Punjab and issue the schedule immediately.

It directed its office to promptly submit the draft election programme for approval.

The ECP also said it had asked the provincial government to provide lists of officers to be appointed as district returning officers, returning officers and assistant returning officers. Expressing disappointment over the failure to provide the lists so far, the commission directed the provincial government to submit them within a week.

Punjab seeks delay The Punjab Local Government and Community Development Department wrote to the ECP on Wednesday, seeking a delay in the local government polls.

The letter, conveying a ministerial committee`s decision, cited expected smog, dense fog and adverse winter weather conditions during December and January, followed by the start of Ramazan in February, as reasons for notholding the elections as scheduled.

The letter said the cabinet`s ministerial committee had held its second meeting on Oct 5, during which it discussed the ECP`s draft election schedule at length. The committee considered scenarios arising from likely harsh weather conditions and Ramazan, it added.

The ministerial committee proposed holding the local government elections in phases to facilitate the deployment of election staff and security personnel, the transportation of polling materials, administrative oversight and access for voters.

The phased approach would also help avoid adverse weather conditions typically experienced during December and January, as well as the period immediately following Ramazan, the letter said.

It added that the Punjab cabinet had considered the committee`s recommendations early on Wednesday and approved a proposal to hold the eleetions in three phases on April 4, 11 and 18, 2027, all Sundays.

The cabinet also decided that the allocation of districts among the three phases could be discussed and mutually agreed upon with the ECP at a dedicated meeting, taking into account administrative, logistical, security and geographical considerations, as well as weather conditions, the letter said.