The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday rejected the requests from the Balochistan chief minister and governor seeking a postponement of the upcoming local government elections in the province.

In a decision released on Wednesday, the Commission ruled that the reasons cited for delaying the polls were “not legally acceptable” and affirmed that polling will take place on December 28 as scheduled.

The ECP stated that, despite prevailing circumstances, fulfilling the constitutional obligation to hold elections was essential.

It noted that the delimitation process in Quetta had already been completed twice, objections had been settled, and the Balochistan High Court had also dismissed related petitions.

According to the verdict, the constitution does not allow the postponement of local government elections.

The commission added that the Supreme Court has previously held that electoral matters fall squarely within the ECP’s jurisdiction, and any obstacles created by the provincial government would amount to a violation of the constitution.

The decision has been forwarded to the provincial government, the governor and all relevant institutions.

However, ECP’s Balochistan member Shah Muhammad Jatoi dissented from the majority view, arguing that severe winter conditions lead to population migration and that the law-and-order situation in the province remains unsatisfactory.