The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has suspended all preparations for local government elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa until further orders, after the federal government extended the suspension of Article 140A of the Constitution to the entire province.

The commission took the decision at a meeting on Thursday, 5 November, chaired by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja. It reviewed the federal government's Order No. 3, dated 4 November 2026, whose second clause extends the suspension of Article 140A to districts not covered by earlier orders.

Article 140A requires local governments in the provinces, and its second sub-clause makes the Election Commission responsible for holding their elections. The commission concluded that, in view of the federal order, holding elections in the remaining districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was no longer possible, and ordered all steps taken so far to be stopped until further orders.

A process already narrowed

The ECP had earlier decided to hold local government elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in districts where delimitation had been completed. Twelve districts were already excluded under special administrative arrangements, and elections were not scheduled in Bannu, Lakki Marwat, Mohmand, Orakzai and North Waziristan under a federal government order dated 11 October, following the imposition of governor's rule and emergency in the province.

The latest order closes off the remaining districts as well, leaving the province without an elected local government tier for now. No new date has been announced, and the commission has not said when the process might resume.

Punjab polls set for February

On the same day, the commission fixed 7 February 2027 for the first phase of local government elections in Punjab, underlining the contrast between the two provinces: Punjab's local polls now have a date, while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's remain suspended indefinitely.