NA panel passes bill: Replacement of ICT LG system with 3-town corporation sought

ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary body on Thursday passed the Islamabad Capital Territory Local Government (Amendment) Bill 2026 seeking to replace the existing local government system in the capital city with a three-town corporation, despite the opposition of members from Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) who accused the government of delaying local elections. The National Assembly Standing Committee on Interior and Narcotics Control, which met with MNA Raja Khurram Shahzad Nawaz in the chair, passed the bills despite reservations from the opposition andthe PPP, a coalition partner of the ruling PML-N. PPP MNA Syed Rafiullah, while objecting to the bill, said that if the present government wanted to hold local government elections in Islamabad, then it should adopt a clear policy. “The government should adopt a clear policy; then we are ready to support it”, he said, adding that why the committee is discussing the ordinance, which is going to expire on September 5. He questioned whatwas approved by the federal cabinet yesterday (Wednesday). MNA Abdul Qadir Patel said that this ordinance is going to expire for the third time, but you did not conduct local government elections. “You are neither conducting local government elections in Islamabad nor in Punjab province”, he said, adding that as per Section 29 of the amended bill, an administrator will be appointed instead of a public representative; therefore, we will not support this bill. Following the discussion, the chairman put the bill to a vote. The bill was approved by a majority vote. PPP MNA Syed Rafiullah, Jamal Raisani, Nabeel Gabol, Qadir Patel, as well as MNA of Pashtunkhwa National Awami Party Khushal Khan Kakar, signed the dissenting note. The dissenting note says that the objectives of repeated legislation are to delay local government elections in Islamabad. The government’s continued introduction of amendment bills and ordinances is creating hurdles in the electoral process, it says. It says that whenever the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) moves toward holding elections, another amendment bill is introduced. Under Article 140A of the Constitution, the transfer of political and financial powers to local governments is mandatory. It says that the residents of the federal capital have been deprived of elected local government representatives for several years. Instead of delaying local government elections, the government should facilitate the ECP in conducting elections. According to the summary of the bill aimed at further strengthening and reorganizing the local government framework, the President promulgated the ICT Local Government (Amendment) Ordinance, 2026 on 9 January 2026, pursuant to which the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) recalled the local government election schedule on 16 January 2026. The Ordinance was subsequently extended for a period of 120 days with effect from 9 May 2026 and is due to expire on 5 September 2026. The proposed amendments provide for replacement of the Metropolitan Corporation with three Town Corporations, broadly corresponding to the limits of national assembly constituencies, empower the government to appoint administrators upon expiry of the elected local governments without a six-month limitation, authorize such administrators to levy taxes and fees in accordance with the fourth schedule, and enable the government to issue binding directions to local governments or administrators. An official of the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) Chairman, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), representatives of cellular companies, State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) briefed the committee about the measures taken to control the rising incidence of fraudulent and scam calls. A senior official of NCCIA told the committee that the rapid expansion of digital financial services, mobile connectivity and online banking in Pakistan has contributed to a significant increase in cyber-enabled financial fraud, whereby unauthorized account takeovers, misuse of messaging platforms and other deceptive perpetrators target citizens through various techniques, including impersonation, phishing, fraudulent schemes. To facilitate timely redressal of grievances and provide accessible avenues for affected citizens, the agency has established dedicated complaint-handling mechanisms. He said that in the current year, 68031 complaints have been filed in NCCIA. The agency has verified 19635 out of the total complaints and registered 395 cases as well as arrested 391 accused. PTA chairman Major General (R) Hafeez Ur Rehman told the committee that from Jan 2024 to Aug 2026, 110 raids were conducted in different cities with the coordination of NCCIA. During these raids, over 29, 346 SIMs, 234 biometric devices, 171 arrests, and 602, 000 paper-based digital finger prints confiscated. “Around 18. 2 million SIMS have been blocked, and a Rs 4. 2 billion fine has been imposed against the cellular companies”, he said. To secure the SIM sale ecosystem, he said that PTA, in collaboration with Cellular Mobile Operators (CMOs) introduced different measures, including geofencing SIM sale devices within 100 meters of their designated sale locations to curtail unauthorized movement. He said that the live finger detection (LFD) feature was enhanced to prevent issuance of SIMs through fake fingerprints (made from paper, silicon, nylon). Users of SIM sale devices have been restricted to two users maximum per device to avoid misuse and fix responsibility, in case of any illegal issuance of SIMs. State Minister for Interior Talal Chuadhry said that enhancement of security features is mandatory for controlling fraudulent practices. “The problem will not be resolved till we switch to facial photographs and iris scans “, he said. Copyright Business Recorder, 2026

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