ISLAMABAD: The government has summoned an emergency session of the National Assembly on Thursday (today) to get Islamabad’s local government amendment bill passed, with an aim to increase the number of union councils and seek direct election for the post of mayor.

The session has been convened by President Dr Arif Alvi at a time when political parties are already busy campaigning for the local government polls scheduled for Dec 31.

In a related development, a ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate and a senior member of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) filed separate petitions before the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on the issue with the former seeking postponement of the polls and the latter desiring initiation of contempt proceedings against Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his “cabinet” for making changes in the law which could cause a delay in the elections.

The National Assembly Secretariat on Wednesday issued a 10-point agenda which shows the Islamabad Capital Territory Local Government (Amendment) Bill 2022 standing in the name of Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan.

PML-N candidate seeks delay in polls; PTI leader files contempt petition against PM for changes in law

The minister will also present a motion seeking to suspend the rules of the assembly to enable the members to pass the bill on the same day without referring it to the concerned committee and following the parliamentary procedure.

After passage of the bill from the lower house of the parliament, it will also have to be passed by the Senate before getting the president’s ceremonial assent.

It may be recalled that the National Assembly had been prorogued by the president only on Tuesday after passing the Foreign Investment (Promotion and Protection) Bill in a similar fashion and after suspending the rules.

The federal cabinet has already approved the amendments to the law through a circular on Dec 19 after which the interior ministry issued a letter increasing the number of seats from 101 to 125.

Moreover, the federal cabinet has also approved a summary for direct election of Islamabad’s mayor and for this necessary amendment, the bill is being tabled before the National Assembly.

Despite these developments, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), however, refused to defer the LG elections and vowed to conduct it in accordance with the already announced schedule.

Since the PML-N and PTI have brought this matter before the IHC, the fate of LG elections now depends upon the judicial verdict.

In the petition, PML-N candidate from Tarlai Union Council Shahzad Aurangzeb defended the government’s decision of increasing the number of UCs.

The petition stated that Islamabad districtfor the most part has been administered without a local government comprising elected representatives of the people until the passing of the 18th Amendment in the Constitution on April 19, 2010.

It said the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) Local Government Act 2015 in sections 5 & 6 of the Act, empowered the federal government to declare any area as union council and to divide an existing area of one union council into two and to notify the number of union councils in Islamabad, adding that the federal government had recently increased the number of union councils to 125.

The petitioner pointed out anomalies in the voters’ lists of different areas and said “in such conditions any election that is held would be disputed and cannot be declared as a free and fair election”.

It requested the court to set aside the ECP’s decision of conducting elections in 101 UCs.

On the other hand, PTI leader Ali Nawaz Awan asserted in the petition that the ECP in the light of the judgements of the superior courts announced schedule for local government elections in 101 UCs to be held on Dec 31.

“However, the federal government with utmost mala fide, has yet again in its bid to frustrate the process has done exactly what had been apprehended,” the petition said, adding that the act of federal government of increasing the number of UCs is a “clear attempt at frustrating the process and holding of elections, which is clear cut violation of the judgement of this court”.

According to the petition, the federal government was “well aware” of court’s directions, “however, the action of yet again increasing the number of UCs, merely 11 days prior to the elections…is a blatant disregard to the dictum laid down exhaustively by the court.”

The petition termed it a deliberate attempt to frustrate the judgement of the IHC.

Subsequently, it requested the court to initiate contempt of court proceeding against the prime minister and all the members of the federal cabinet.

Published in Dawn, December 22nd, 2022