There has been little to no reaction from politicians or the public to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) decision this week to hold local government (LG) elections immediately in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa districts where delimitation is complete. The commission excluded 12 districts citing "intense security challenges," opting for special administrative arrangements under the Area Representative and Development Council (ARDC).

Some politicians in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have questioned the timing, arguing there is no legal bar to holding polls during a war or emergency. Excluded from the election programme are the five districts of Bannu, Mohmand, Orakzai, Lakki Marwat, and North Waziristan.

The seven districts excluded from the delimitation schedules are Dera Ismail Khan, Tank, Bajaur, Khyber, Kurram, Lower South Waziristan, and Upper South Waziristan. "I am one of the few politicians who genuinely believes in empowered local bodies.

I have always told my colleagues they are nothing to be afraid of," said Taimur Saleem Khan Jhagra, former MPA and provincial minister for finance and health. He added that calling for local body elections days after the imposition of Governor's Rule is laughable, noting that such polls are no substitute for allowing an elected provincial government to complete its constitutional term.

Initially, Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja maintained that political governments, rather than the ECP, are generally reluctant to hold local government elections. He noted that holding polls despite an emergency or Governor's Rule would represent a major milestone for the administrative system.

The ECP Secretariat also argued that international precedents show no legal bar to conducting elections during a state of emergency. However, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government maintained that elections in the 12 designated districts were impossible due to the "severe security situation."

Consequently, a five-member ECP bench ordered polls to proceed in the remaining districts while formally postponing them in the 12 security-sensitive areas. The decision has sparked a debate regarding the balance between democratic continuity and security imperatives in the province.

Analysts suggest that the ECP is attempting to assert its constitutional authority to conduct polls regardless of the political climate. As the province navigates this transition, the focus remains on whether the administrative arrangements under the ARDC will suffice to maintain stability until the security situation improves in the excluded regions.