Liaqat Baloch Meets CEC, Demands Immediate Islamabad Local Elections

Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan Vice Emir Liaqat Baloch, accompanied by a delegation, met Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and held detailed discussions on the repeatedly postponed local government elections in Islamabad. The delegation included JI Vice Emir Mian Muhammad Aslam and Islamabad Emir Nasrullah Randhawa.

Speaking to the media after the meeting, Baloch said that the people of the federal capital were being deprived of their fundamental democratic rights as local government elections had been announced repeatedly but postponed each time. He said the Chief Election Commissioner acknowledged that the elections had been delayed due to successive amendments to the Election Act introduced by the government.

Baloch stressed that holding local government elections was a constitutional obligation of the government, as the Constitution of Pakistan makes the establishment of local government institutions mandatory. He said the country remained trapped in persistent political instability, which was being exploited by the establishment. Political stability, he maintained, could not be achieved until local governments were empowered and given genuine authority.

He regretted that no political party was willing to establish an empowered local government system after coming to power and emphasized that the Election Commission must be made more independent and effective.

The JI leader said the Chief Election Commissioner had informed the delegation that the Election Commission had forwarded around 63 proposed electoral amendments to the government, but the government was unwilling to act on them. Liaqat Baloch said the delegation had requested a copy of the proposed reforms, assuring the CEC that Jamaat-e-Islami would raise its voice for their implementation.

He also expressed concern over the unresolved appointments of the CEC and two members of the Election Commission, noting that the incumbent CEC had completed his regular tenure as well as the two-year extension granted to him. He urged the government to end its stubbornness and called upon the opposition leader to step forward and play his constitutional role in resolving the matter.

Calling for an end to the culture of ad hoc arrangements, Baloch said comprehensive electoral reforms were indispensable for strengthening democracy in the country. He urged the Speaker of the National Assembly to prioritize electoral reforms and ensure that Jamaat-e-Islami's proposed reforms based on proportional representation were also included in the process.

Liaqat Baloch further pointed out that Islamabad's local government elections had been postponed five times, while the nomination fees deposited by candidates had also not been returned. He said the CEC had assured the delegation that the amount would be refunded.