NA adopts Islamabad LG govt bill amid opposition protest

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly (NA) on Thursday passed the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) Local Government (Amendment) Bill, 2022 amid protest from the opposition members and voices on lack of quorum in the House. The Bill was implemented forthwith.

As the Bill was moved in the House, Jamaat-e-Islami’s Maulana Abdul Akbar lodged a strong protest on a point of order, saying the government was finding ways to delay the local government elections in the federal capital, which are scheduled to take place on December 31. “Why the government opted for an amendment in the law when less than 10 days are left to the local government polls in Islamabad?” he asked.

Akbar said the transfer of power to the grass-root level was a constitutional obligation but the government wanted a delay in holding elections as per schedule. “Constitution has been made a toy in the hands of those want a delay in elections,” he said. He questioned why the government was escaping from holding election as per schedule, saying that the same was done in case of local government elections in Karachi. He also mentioned that only three days back, the government notified an increase in the number of union councils from 101 to 125. “Why the same exercise was not carried out when the government during June this year decided to hold local government polls in Islamabad?” he asked.

The bill, which was passed on Thursday, on becoming an Act of Parliament would also provide for an increase in the number of union councils to 125.

The JI member was of the view those who wanted a delay in the elections were indulging in violation of the Constitution. The bill, which would envisage direct elections of the Islamabad mayor and deputy mayors through amendments in the Islamabad Capital Territory Local Government Bill, 2015, was passed when an opposition member Dr. Ramesh Kumar attempted to raise the question of lack of quorum in the House.

According to a report of Fair and Free Elections Network (Fafen), a maximum of 54 members were present in the National Assembly on Thursday against 86 members required to complete the quorum.

The opposition member who hails from the PTI was not given the floor to raise the question of quorum. Dr Ramesh Kumar again without a mike, while addressing the chair, said he had earlier also pointed out the lack of quorum. “You did not,” Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf said.

Apparently less than one fourth members of total membership of the National Assembly were present in the House when the bill was introduced and then passed by the House.

Dr Ramesh Kumar also pointed out why the bill was not taken up during the one-day session, which was prorogued on Tuesday. According to him, day-long proceedings costs the national exchequer Rs50 million. However, the NA Speaker asked the parliamentarian to check the amount of expenses incurred on holding sittings of the House. Dr Ramesh also observed that the House was not in order.

Engineer Sabir Kaim Khani, speaking on a point of order, supported the bill and demanded delimitation of union councils in Sindh also for local government polls.

Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Murtaza Javed Abbasi told the House that the government wanted an increase in the number of union councils in Islamabad as per the 2017 census.

Under the Rule 288 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the National Assembly, 2007, the requirements of Rule 122 of the said rules were suspended in order to take up the Islamabad Capital Territory Local Government (Amendment) Bill, 2022 to pass the bill without seeking the consent of concerned standing committee. The NA also passed the Federal Employees Benevolent Fund and Group Insurance (Amendment) Bill, 2022 to amend the Federal Employees Benevolent Fund and Group Insurance (Amendment) Act, 1969. The one-day session was prorogued after passing two bills and taking up some points of order.

According to an amendment Section 12 of 2015 Act, the mayor and the deputy mayor shall be directly elected as joint candidates by the voters. The election of the mayor and the deputy mayor shall be held on the day of election of members of Union Council. It says that if the office of the mayor of the local government falls vacant during the term of the council for any reason, the Election Commission shall hold a fresh election to the office of the head of the local government.