KP local government elections: ECP orders immediate polls where delimitation is done, 12 emergency districts left out

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday 28 October ordered local government elections to be held immediately in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa districts where delimitation is complete, leaving out the 12 districts placed under emergency measures, Dawn reported. The commission had reserved its verdict on Tuesday after hearing the provincial government's request to put the polls off.

What the ECP ordered

• Polls at once in KP districts where delimitation of councils is finished, except the 12 under emergency.
• An election programme, with the dates, to be submitted by the ECP office for approval.
• Delimitation schedules to be issued for the remaining districts, apart from seven: Dera Ismail Khan, Tank, Bajaur, Khyber, Kurram, Lower South Waziristan and Upper South Waziristan.
• Fresh counts of village and neighbourhood councils and reserved seats in each tehsil council for Karak, Hangu, Swat, Bar Swat, Battagram, Paharpur and Allai, under a separate order of the same day.

The bench was headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja with members Nisar Ahmed Durrani, Shah Muhammad Jatoi, Babar Hassan Bharwana and retired Justice Ikramullah Khan. It cited Articles 140A, 218, 219, 220 and 222 of the Constitution and Sections 219 and 221 of the Elections Act 2017.

Who is left out, and why

On 11 October the federal government imposed an emergency in KP and placed the province under governor's rule. It put 12 districts under an Area Representative and Development Council (ARDC). The federal order names Bannu, Mohmand, Orakzai, Lakki Marwat and North Waziristan among them. The provincial government asked for the polls to be deferred, citing law and order, the emergency and the deployment of troops under Article 245; the ECP did not accept that for the rest of the province.

Why it matters to voters

KP's elected local councils have been without elected members since their terms ended, in March 2026 for the first phase and June 2026 for the second. Village and neighbourhood councils are the tier closest to residents, handling local matters such as streets, drains and small development schemes.

The ECP has been pressing every province. It has ordered Punjab to issue its schedule immediately (see our Punjab local government elections report), Islamabad votes on 20 December with PTI contesting all 125 union councils (our Islamabad local government elections page), and Gilgit-Baltistan's municipal polls are on 5 December.

What happens next

The dates will come in the ECP's election programme for KP. Once it is issued, it will set the days for nomination papers, scrutiny, withdrawals and polling. To check your registered vote and polling station, text your CNIC number to 8300, the ECP's SMS service. We will add the KP schedule here when it is published.