Local Government: Sindh opposition rejects proposed amendments

Local Government reforms in Sindh have faced strong opposition from MQM-P, PTI and Jamaat-e-Islami, which have rejected key government proposals and accused the provincial administration of seeking to limit the authority of elected mayors.

A parliamentary committee formed to examine amendments to the Sindh Local Government Act met at the Sindh Assembly on Saturday. Government and opposition lawmakers attended the meeting and presented their proposed changes to the legislation.

Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar said the government had proposed a mechanism to manage local affairs after the terms of elected representatives expire.

He said the government planned to formally approach the Election Commission of Pakistan 120 days before local government elections. The move, he added, would provide sufficient time for delimitation and other preparations.

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Lanjar said delimitation was necessary before elections and noted that authorities had followed different timelines during previous polls. Once the Election Commission announces an election schedule, he said, it would make the required arrangements while an administrator would oversee day-to-day affairs during the interim period.

The minister said the government wanted to strengthen the Election Commission and noted that political parties on the committee had also submitted their amendments.

MQM-P lawmaker Taha Ahmed strongly criticised the proposals. He accused the provincial government of resisting the transfer of powers to elected local representatives and demanded full mayoral authority under Article 140-A of the Constitution.

Ahmed also called for the implementation of the PPP’s 2008 manifesto commitment on devolving local government powers.

He questioned proposals that would remove the mayor’s authority over the master plan, solid waste management and the Water Board. He alleged that the proposed legislation could create what he described as a “fake mayor”.

Ahmed warned that MQM-P would launch protests across the country if the government proceeded with what he called controversial legislation.

MQM-P’s Iftikhar Alam also opposed the proposal to make mayors administrators. He argued that such an arrangement could affect electoral transparency, particularly if elections were delayed and the legislation failed to clearly define the administrator’s tenure.

Alam said the committee had also failed to address the transfer of powers to local governments in line with Supreme Court directives. He described the proceedings as unacceptable.

PTI’s Shabbir Qureshi said his party had rejected the government’s proposals, particularly the plan to place unelected representatives in union councils. PTI, he said, had instead called for the appointment of internal administrators.

Qureshi also criticised the existing arrangements for solid waste management and alleged that authorities had removed powers from the Water Board and Sindh Building Control Authority.

He called for the implementation of the Sindh Local Government Act 2013 in accordance with Article 140-A and relevant Supreme Court judgments.

Jamaat-e-Islami’s Muhammad Farooq said Sindh already had a local government law but argued that the system remained ineffective because meaningful authority had not reached elected local bodies.

Farooq said JI had proposed holding local government elections within 120 days and opposed the appointment of administrators. He added that the party’s amendments had not been accepted.

He also rejected a proposed oversight mechanism instead of devolving powers to union councils, saying JI had submitted its proposals three months earlier but none had been incorporated.

Farooq warned that Jamaat-e-Islami would approach the courts if the proposed amendments became law.