Islamabad / Lahore, 6 November 2026
The Election Commission of Pakistan has fixed the first phase of the local government elections in Punjab for 7 February 2027. The decision came yesterday after the provincial government kept asking for more time because of fog and other practical problems.
A four-member bench headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja heard the matter and accepted the Punjab government’s request to hold the polls after 20 January. The chief secretary told the Commission that dense fog, especially around Lahore, shorter daylight hours in December and January, and the shortage of teachers who usually run the polling stations would make things difficult if the elections were held earlier.
Earlier the Commission had suggested 14 December. The Punjab side first agreed to a window between mid-December and mid-January, then changed its mind and asked for April, talking about smog, fog, Ramazan and the school issue. The Commission rejected the April idea. On Thursday the province came back asking for January or February, and the Commission settled on 7 February for the first phase. The elections will be held in phases.
This will be the first local government election in Punjab since 2015. The province has been without elected local councils for more than ten years. The Commission also put all preparations for local body polls in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on hold until further orders after the federal government extended the suspension of Article 140-A to the remaining districts there.
The Punjab government said it was ready on the administrative side but needed extra time for the final arrangements. The Commission noted the constitutional requirement to hold local elections and the need to give candidates and voters a fair chance, and accepted the request in the interest of justice.
Political parties have already started talking about the contests. For ordinary people in Punjab the main question remains the same – whether the local bodies will finally start working properly after so many years of delay. Fog, smog and teacher availability are real problems, but the long wait has also meant no elected representation at the grassroots level for a long time.
The Commission’s short order is clear: first phase on 7 February 2027. The rest of the schedule will come later. How the parties prepare and whether the weather actually cooperates will be watched in the coming months.
Sources: Dawn, Pakistan Today, The Nation, Radio Pakistan and the Election Commission of Pakistan statements issued on 5 November 2026.
@Rohit Manral