The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday issued a contempt notice to the interior secretary for failing to appear at a hearing regarding delays in local government elections in Islamabad.
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A five-member bench headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja heard the case.
During the proceedings, Ali Randhawa appeared before the commission, while the interior secretary remained absent.
Expressing concern over the absence, the chief election commissioner ordered that a contempt of commission notice be issued against the secretary. He also warned that Mohsin Naqvi would be required to appear in person at the next hearing if the secretary continued to remain absent.
ECP officials informed the bench that a formal letter had been sent to the interior secretary, but no response had been received and the interior ministry had not cooperated with the commission.
The commission was further told that essential documents required to start the delimitation process — including the official notification, a map of Islamabad and details regarding the number of union council members — had yet to be provided.
The chief election commissioner observed that the Islamabad Capital Territory Administration was not treating the matter seriously despite being responsible for holding the local government elections.
He cautioned the authorities against forcing the commission to take strict action and directed officials to present a clear timeline for progress.
The ECP also instructed the Islamabad chief commissioner to brief the commission on developments at the next hearing. The case was adjourned until Tuesday.
