In a statement, Liaquat Baloch said the repeated postponement amounted to an assault on democracy. He said the continued suspension of the electoral process had raised questions about the Election Commission’s ability to exercise its authority independently of pressure from the government and administrative institutions.
He added that repeatedly delaying elections also weakened public confidence in democratic institutions.
Liaquat Baloch said successive governments and the establishment had never made a genuine effort to empower the Election Commission. He alleged that political and state institutions publicly supported democracy but were reluctant to hold free and empowered local government elections.
He said local government was a fundamental component of democracy and that public issues could not be effectively addressed at the grassroots level without a functioning local government system.
The Jamaat-e-Islami leader said Islamabad’s residents had been deprived of elected local representatives for a long time, affecting the resolution of neighbourhood problems and the provision of civic services.
He said local government institutions allowed citizens to participate directly in decisions concerning their areas, adding that delays in elections undermined their democratic and administrative rights.
Liaquat Baloch also expressed concern over the absence of local government elections in Punjab, saying residents had long been deprived of elected local administrations and their civic rights.
He said the lack of a local government system prevented the transfer of authority and resources to elected representatives, making it difficult for ordinary citizens to resolve everyday problems.
The JI deputy emir criticised the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), alleging that all three parties had weakened local government institutions during their respective periods in power.
He said political parties should demonstrate greater commitment to holding local elections and granting elected local bodies meaningful powers, rather than limiting their support for democracy to statements.
Liaquat Baloch stressed that holding local government elections was not merely a legal or administrative requirement but an essential way to empower citizens.
He urged political leaders and relevant institutions to remove unnecessary obstacles to the electoral process and allow people to elect their local representatives.
