Could Islamabad get its own assembly and chief minister?
News Desk
Islamabad: As debate over the creation of new provinces and administrative units continues, the federal government has stepped up preparations for a proposed new governance model for Islamabad.
A high-level special committee has presented Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif with a draft framework outlining a new administrative structure for the federal capital.
Under the proposed model, Islamabad would have a 27-member assembly, a chief executive and 27 administrative departments. Of the 27 assembly seats, 21 would be filled through direct elections, with seven members elected from each of Islamabad’s three National Assembly constituencies.
The proposal also calls for five reserved seats for women and one seat for minorities.
The capital’s chief executive would be designated either as a chief minister or mayor, according to the draft. The proposed local government would enjoy administrative and financial autonomy similar to that of a provincial government in managing the capital’s municipal affairs.
Health, education, environmental protection and urban services would come under the jurisdiction of the Islamabad local government. However, law and order and master planning would remain under the federal government.
The draft also proposes transferring the powers and responsibilities of the Capital Development Authority (CDA) to the Islamabad local government. Other institutions currently operating under the Local Government Act would also be brought under its administrative control.
The proposed local government would be empowered to formulate its own rules of procedure for conducting its affairs.
To oversee the capital’s administration, the draft recommends the appointment of a chief secretary and four secretaries. The four secretaries would be responsible for different administrative groups and departments.
The Election Commission of Pakistan would conduct elections for the proposed Islamabad Assembly. Meanwhile, the federal government would retain responsibility for law and order and master planning through a relevant ministry or a governor.
Federal institutions established to serve the country as a whole would continue to operate from Islamabad under the proposed arrangement.
The special committee includes federal ministers Ahsan Iqbal and Mohsin Naqvi. Adviser to the Prime Minister Rana Sanaullah and Federal Minister Musaddiq Malik also contributed to the preparation of the proposed administrative framework.
The proposal comes amid a broader debate over administrative restructuring in Pakistan, including calls for the creation of new provinces and administrative units.
