The National Assembly Standing Committee on Interior approved a bill on Thursday designed to replace Islamabad’s current local government system with a three-council structure. This decision came despite vigorous objections from Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) members, who accused the government of stalling local elections and enabling the appointment of powerful administrators.
Earlier, the federal cabinet had sanctioned a new local government framework for Islamabad, dividing the capital into three councils, each led by its own mayor. The committee’s approval took place during a contentious session chaired by Raja Khurram Nawaz, where members challenged the government over inconsistent stances regarding the proposed local government legislation.
Officials from the Ministry of Law and Justice appeared uninformed about the new local government bill, which had reportedly been approved by the cabinet just a day before. PPP lawmaker Agha Rafiullah questioned the government’s intentions, asking why the committee was still debating the ordinance set to expire on September 5, and why there was a discrepancy between the ordinance and the newly approved bill.
Law ministry representatives clarified that even if the ordinance lapses, the bill would remain before Parliament. However, they acknowledged no new bill had been formally received by their ministry, underscoring confusion over the legislative process for the new local government system.
The proposed arrangement divides Islamabad into three councils, each comprising 21 members, including general councillors, women, and minorities, with each council headed by a mayor. The committee chairman noted that delimitation for local government elections had been completed.
Rafiullah criticized the government’s approach, lamenting that the country was being fragmented by ongoing debates over provinces and administrative units. He also questioned the government’s capacity to manage Islamabad’s current institutions, pointing out deficiencies in managing the city and its hospitals even as plans were underway to create new administrative bodies.
PPP MNA Abdul Qadir Patel strongly opposed the new system, asserting that the government had no genuine intention of holding local elections in Punjab and Islamabad. He warned that administrators with expanded powers would be appointed instead. Patel also alleged discussions about converting Islamabad into a separate province and condemned the government’s handling of recent flooding in Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
“Islamabad was submerged during the floods,” Patel remarked, questioning the rationale behind granting a separate province status to the capital. He dismissed the proposed legislation as a tactic to secure approval through voting and declared that PPP would not support any move to make Islamabad a separate province.
The committee chairman offered to hold a separate vote on the provincial status issue. Patel accused the chairman of politicizing the matter and argued that the proposed system would create an unchecked administrator with no fixed tenure. He reiterated PPP’s refusal to endorse the local government bill, though the chairman again suggested putting the issue to a vote.
Expressing his preference, the committee chairman stated he favored Islamabad having its own elected representatives and assembly. PPP MNA Syeda Nosheen Iftikhar supported the idea of a vote on the matter, but Patel dismissed this as political posturing. Meanwhile, Rafiullah condemned ongoing irresponsible discussions about new provinces and administrative units, urging that the focus remain on strengthening existing institutions.
Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry briefed the committee on Islamabad’s condition following recent heavy rains. He reported that the city had been cleared and only one roof collapse had been recorded. Chaudhry rejected allegations of widespread encroachments and administrative failures in the capital, challenging members to compare Islamabad’s governance with other cities. He urged critics not to deflect attention from their own shortcomings.
The government’s proposed three-council structure follows amendments to the Islamabad Capital Territory Local Government Act, which replaced the Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad model with three town corporations aligned with the capital’s three National Assembly constituencies. The Election Commission of Pakistan had previously withdrawn the local government election schedule for Islamabad after these structural changes, requiring fresh documentation and delimitation details from federal authorities. The committee chairman confirmed that the delimitation process had now been completed.
Despite the committee’s approval, political opposition and legislative uncertainties continue to cloud the timeline for holding local elections. The bill must still navigate the remaining parliamentary procedures before the new local government system can be implemented.
In a related discussion, the committee addressed the security situation in Balochistan. Chairman Raja Khurram Nawaz revealed he had requested an in-camera briefing from the National Assembly speaker, who responded that the security conditions in Balochistan were not suitable for such a session. Member Jamal Raisani questioned this reasoning, suggesting committee members should be able to visit the province if the speaker could.
Minister Talal Chaudhry stated that the prime minister had been approached again for a briefing on Balochistan’s status, with efforts underway to arrange detailed briefings from the Balochistan chief minister and provincial interior minister. The government defended its security policies in the province, noting that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had granted security forces full authority to take necessary measures to improve the situation.
