The Election Commission of Pakistan has given the green light for local government elections in those Khyber Pakhtunkhwa districts where the delimitation work is already finished. At the same time, the commission has clearly left out twelve districts that fall under the new Area Representative and Development Council setup.
Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja announced the decision after the reserved verdict in the long-running KP local government case. He directed the ECP office to prepare and submit the complete election programme for approval only in the districts where constituency boundaries have been finalised.
Five districts will not see polls for now. These are Bannu, Lakki Marwat, Mohmand, Orakzai and North Waziristan. The exclusion follows the federal government’s order issued on 11 October. The commission also told its staff to issue fresh delimitation schedules for the remaining districts that still need work. Seven more areas are also kept out of the current process: Dera Ismail Khan, Tank, Bajaur, Khyber, Kurram, Upper South Waziristan and Lower South Waziristan.
The ECP further ordered that village and neighbourhood councils must be adjusted properly. Reserved seats in the tehsil councils of Karak, Hangu, Swat, Bar Swat, Battagram, Paharpur and Allai should also be fixed so that elections can move forward without delay.
The decision came after a detailed hearing. A five-member bench led by the Chief Election Commissioner heard the provincial government’s request to postpone the polls. Officials had pointed to law and order problems, emergency measures and the presence of troops. During the same hearing, ECP Special Secretary Zafar Iqbal confirmed that delimitation is complete in twenty-three districts and elections can start there through a simple official order.
The terms of the earlier local bodies had already expired. The first phase ended in March 2026 and the second phase finished in June. Meanwhile, President Asif Ali Zardari had proclaimed emergency and governor’s rule in the province on 11 October under constitutional provisions. Governor Faisal Karim Kundi now looks after provincial matters with help from an advisory council. Parliament later approved the emergency steps. An Area Development Secretariat and the ARDC have been set up to handle the twelve special districts. These arrangements explain why the commission has kept those areas outside the present election schedule.
The overall direction is clear. Elections will go ahead where the groundwork is ready, while the districts under the new administrative structure will wait for further decisions.
