Running a city

Ever since the establishment of Islamabad, it has been governed by the bureaucracy via the Capital Development Authority. Only once in its entire history has the federal capital had an elected local government, back in 2015.

The tenure of the local government in Islamabad ended in February 2021 and new elections were supposed to take place within the next six months. However, since then it has been more than three years that Islamabad has been running without a local government.

Even when Islamabad had a local government, things were not ideal. The first mayor of Islamabad was handpicked by the ruling party of that time, the PML-N. He was indirectly elected. The elected chairmen of the Union Councils, along with reserved seats women, youth, peasants/workers, technocrats, etc, formed the electoral college for the mayoral election.

Having said that, what was important was that Islamabad finally had its first local government.

The Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad struggled significantly. Despite there being potential for the MCI to play a crucial role in local governance, the ruling party did not provide the necessary support, leaving the MCI without the funds and financial rules needed to carry out its duties effectively.

Although there was some progress when Sheikh Ansar Aziz held the additional charge of chairman of the CDA, along with being the mayor of Islamabad – allowing for improved coordination and getting funds approved for MCI routine matters – this progress halted when the Islamabad High Court declared his dual appointment illegal. His removal from CDA chairmanship led to a stagnation in the MCI’s activities, further exacerbating its challenges.

Furthermore, during the PTI’s tenure, the mayor of Islamabad faced further significant challenges, particularly concerning the diminishing authority and effectiveness of the Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad. The PTI government established a Local Government Commission, which further complicated the governance dynamics in the federal capital. This commission instead of empowering the MCI gradually stripped its powers, reallocating key departments and resources back to the Capital Development Authority.

This move effectively undermined the authority of the MCI, rendering the mayor’s office increasingly powerless. The mayor, Sheikh Ansar Aziz, expressed his frustration over the continuous interference and the systematic erosion of the MCI’s powers, ultimately leading to his resignation.

This goes to show the seriousness of mainstream political parties towards establishing empowered and effective local governments.

Now coming to why there has been such a long delay in the local government elections in Islamabad. Initially, elections were to be held in 50 UCs, but this number was increased to 101, causing significant delays. Just when arrangements for elections in 101 UCs were finalized, the PDM government decided to increase the number again to 125 UCs, further postponing the electoral process. Even as elections were finally set to proceed in 125 UCs, the current PML-N led government introduced yet another change, proposing an increase in the number of general seats within each UC, which will most likely further delay the elections.

Furthermore, the new amendments to the ICT Local Government Act introduces the concept of having the UC chairmen and vice chairmen being indirectly elected by the elected members of the union council, as opposed to previously being directly elected. This amendment erodes direct voter influence on these key positions.

The situation in Islamabad reflects the broader challenges faced by local governments across Pakistan, as envisioned under Article 140A of the constitution, which mandates that “each province shall, by law, establish a local government system and devolve political, administrative and financial responsibility and authority to the elected representatives of the local governments.”

However, the reality on the ground has often been starkly different. The reluctance of mainstream political parties to genuinely empower local governments has been a persistent issue. Even in Islamabad, where the local government was established for the first time in 2015, the Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad was systematically undermined.

This centralization of power reflects a broader pattern where political and bureaucratic elites at both the federal and provincial levels have been hesitant to allow power and resources to trickle down to the smallest administrative units, thus stifling the development of robust and effective local governance.

Islamabad has a population of 2.36 million people, with 1.83 million registered voters. Such a huge population deserves the right to have an elected and empowered local government. The complex issues the federal capital faces – shortage of water, shortage of housing, as well as affordable housing, public transport, issues of katchi-abadis/informal settlements, environment, sanitation and inclusive development – cannot be left to the bureaucracy to address, because their policies are neither democratic nor inclusive.

A grade 21 officer hailing from Pakistan Administrative Services should not decide the fate of the city; only elected representatives should have that right since they can be held accountable for their actions.

The writer is a youth activist. He tweets at @mustafa_wynne