Islamabad Local Government Election Complaint: Who Decides, 16 Monitoring Officers and How to Report a Violation
Report a code of conduct breach in the Islamabad local government election. The ECP DMO decides; 16 monitoring officers cover the UCs. Contacts and steps here.
Short answer: To report a code of conduct breach in the Islamabad local government election, contact the ECP. Call 051-111-327-000 or email complaints@ecp.gov.pk with your evidence. The ECP has named Uzair Ali Khan, Additional Deputy Commissioner (HQ), as the District Monitoring Officer (DMO) for Islamabad. He decides complaints. Sixteen monitoring officers each cover a group of union councils.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) set up this system in a notification dated 3 November 2026, for the poll on 20 December 2026. We read the notification on the ECP's notifications page. Now that 3,505 candidates have filed papers and campaigning is picking up, this is the office that acts on rallies, banners, official resources and other breaches. Our report on the 3,505 candidates has the latest figures.
The District Monitoring Officer decides complaints in Islamabad
The ECP appointed Uzair Ali Khan, Additional Deputy Commissioner (Headquarters), Islamabad, as District Monitoring Officer for the ICT local government election. A DMO is an officer with legal power to act on breaches of the election law and the ECP's code of conduct during the campaign.
The notification is issued under Section 234 of the Elections Act, 2017, Rule 171 of the Election Rules, 2017 and Section 15(3) of the ICT Local Government Act, 2015. Under the terms of reference, the DMO can:
- Decide on any violation reported to him, and order it removed or corrected.
- Require any government authority to give information, and that authority must comply.
- Issue directions to any authority to follow the Act, the rules and the code of conduct.
- Send a daily report to the ECP on the complaints received.
The same power was used in the NA-77 Gujranwala by-election, where the DMO fined 13 MNAs, MPAs and officials Rs 50,000 each for campaigning on polling day.
Sixteen monitoring officers cover Islamabad's union councils
Below the DMO are monitoring officers, each with a set of union councils. The notification lists union councils numbered 1 to 125. The officers come from the Deputy Commissioner's office and the Capital Development Authority (CDA).
| Role | Who | Covers |
|---|---|---|
| District Monitoring Officer | Uzair Ali Khan, Additional Deputy Commissioner (HQ) | All of ICT |
| Monitoring officers | Assistant Directors and a Research Officer, Office of the Deputy Commissioner ICT | Groups of union councils |
| Monitoring officers | Assistant Directors and a Town Planner, CDA | Groups of union councils |
| Provincial Monitoring Coordinator | Joint Provincial Election Commissioner (Admin), Punjab | Supervises all monitoring |
| Regional Monitoring Coordinator | Regional Election Commissioner | Supervises the teams in the region |
The officer for each union council is printed in the notification. Some lines in the scanned copy are hard to read, so we do not reproduce the union council list officer by officer. Ask the District Election Commissioner's office in Islamabad, or read the notification on ecp.gov.pk, to find the officer for your union council.
How a complaint moves from the street to a decision
The notification sets out the path a violation takes once it is noticed. Here it is, step by step.
- A monitoring team notices a violation, or receives information about one.
- The team reports it on Form M-I, with evidence, to the DMO by the quickest means.
- The DMO decides. If the breach can be removed or fixed, such as a banner or wall chalking, the DMO orders it.
- A focal person from the local administration, at least grade 17, carries out the order. Police under at least a sub-inspector provide security.
- The DMO keeps every complaint on Form M-II and sends a daily report to the ECP.
Monitoring teams can also inquire into any matter that, openly or quietly, affects the campaign. If an inquiry finds someone guilty, it goes to the DMO, who decides it under Section 234(3) and (4) of the Elections Act.
How you can report a breach as a voter
The notification describes how teams report. It does not give a separate public phone line for Islamabad. So use the ECP's own public channels, and give the details a team needs to act.
| Channel | Contact | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| ECP helpline | 051-111-327-000 | Urgent problems |
| ECP email | complaints@ecp.gov.pk | Complaints with photos or videos |
| ECP fax | 051-9204404 | Signed written complaints |
The ECP gave these contacts in its 7 November 2026 release on its monitoring centre, which our guide to ECP complaint numbers and offices lists with every provincial office. When you complain, include:
- The union council number and the exact place.
- The date and time.
- The candidate or party involved, if known.
- Photos or a short video, taken safely and from a public place.
What usually counts as a violation
The exact code of conduct for the Islamabad local government poll was not posted on the ECP notifications page when we checked on 10 November. The kinds of breaches that the ECP's codes and the Elections Act usually cover include:
- Use of government vehicles, offices or staff for a campaign.
- Announcing development schemes for a constituency during the campaign.
- Campaigning near a polling station on polling day.
- Vote buying, threats or offering a job for a vote.
- Posters, banners or wall chalking beyond what the code allows.
Vote buying and threats are crimes under the Elections Act. Our list of election offences and their penalties explains each one.
Common questions
Who is the District Monitoring Officer for the Islamabad local government election?
Uzair Ali Khan, Additional Deputy Commissioner (HQ), Islamabad, under the ECP's notification of 3 November 2026.
What is Form M-I?
The form a monitoring team uses to report a violation, with evidence, to the DMO.
Can the DMO fine a candidate?
The DMO decides under Section 234 of the Elections Act. In the NA-77 by-election, a DMO fined 13 people Rs 50,000 each.
Is there a WhatsApp number for complaints?
The ECP has not published one for this election. Use the helpline, email or fax on ecp.gov.pk.
How many union councils are in Islamabad?
The ECP's monitoring notification lists union councils numbered 1 to 125.
When is polling day?
Sunday, 20 December 2026, from 8 am to 4 pm.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
Last checked 10 November 2026. We read the ECP notifications of 3 November 2026 appointing the DMO and monitoring officers and the monitoring coordinators for ICT, and the revised election programme of 5 November 2026, on ecp.gov.pk. Complaint contacts are from the ECP press release of 7 November 2026.
About the author
Global Affairs & Political Economy Writer
Muhammad Hatim is a book lover who started writing because he enjoys it. At Pakistan Era he writes about international relations, geopolitics and the global economy, with a particular interest in South Asia and the forces behind current events.
