Punjab LG polls to be held on party basis, govt assures LHC

• LG department submits report before court.
• ECP says its written 80 letters to Punjab govt.
• Punjab sets Jan 10 deadline for arrangements.

The Punjab government on Monday apprised the Lahore High Court (LHC) that the local government elections will be held on a party basis and will feature the issuance of party tickets.

Appearing before the court during a case hearing pertaining to multiple petitions filed against the Local Government Act 2025, the Punjab's assistant advocate general told Justice Sultan Tanveer Ahmed that the local government department has submitted its report before the LHC.

The development relates to the Election Commission of Pakistan's (ECP) October decision to hold the LG polls in the province under the Punjab Local Government Act, 2025.

During the hearing today, petitioner Sheikh Imtiaz's lawyer requested the court to make the assistant advocate general's statement on party-based polls a part of the record.

Representing the electoral body, ECP Law DG Khurram Shahzad said that the authority had written as many as 80 letters to the Punjab government in the last four years over LG polls.

"We are bound to hold elections under whatever act the government brings," he told the court.

Shahzad also highlighted that the provincial government had given a January 10 deadline for arrangements for the elections.

The court then adjourned the hearing till Tuesday (tomorrow).

It is pertinent to mention here that the petitioner argued that amendments made to the Punjab Local Government Act 2017 had resulted in local government elections being conducted on a non-party basis, which, according to the plea, would undermine democratic norms.