The Islamabad High Court on Wednesday declared the Islamabad Local Government Ordinance, 2021 invalid and directed the Election Commission of Pakistan to conduct local bodies’ elections under the Local Government Act 2015.

IHC judge Justice Mohsin Akhter Kiyani, who was presiding over the case hearing, gave the decision on several petitions – filed by Union Council Chairperson Sardar Mehtab, Capital Development Authority’s labour union, and CDA officers association – against the LG Islamabad Local Government Ordinance, 2021.

Lawyers – including Umar Ijaz Gilani, Qazi Adil, and Kashif Malik – presented arguments in the case from the petitioner’s side.

The government lawyer said that ordinance was issued on November 13 after the parliament session ended on November 19

The local government elections are proposed to be held this year in May under the law. The PTI-led government had promulgated the presidential ordinance to hold new LG polls after the Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad was dissolved last year. The PML-N had won in the previous elections.