ISLAMABAD: With one week to go for the local government elections in federal capital, the National Assembly on Thursday hurriedly passed a bill aimed at increasing the number of union council seats in capital without even referring it to the committee concerned for deliberation.
The hurriedly passed bill titled the Islamabad Capital Territory Local Government (Amendment) Bill, 2022, was moved by state minister for law and justice Malik Shahadat Awan, requesting – through a motion to suspend the rules of the house – to enable the members to pass the bill the same day without referring it to concerned committee.
The NA speaker accepted the motion and immediately passed the bill without referring it to the committee concerned for further deliberation.
According to clause 2 of the bill, there will be 125 union councils within Islamabad Capital Territory under the Islamabad Capital Territory Local Government Act, 2015.
The federal government on the recommendations of interior ministry – by notification in official gazette – may increase or decrease the number of union council from time to time.
The clause 3 of the bill described as “the mayor and the deputy mayor shall be directly elected as joint candidates by the voters. The election of the mayor and deputy mayor shall be held on the day of election of members on union council under section II”.
“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,” it added.
Speaking on a point of order, MNA Maulana Abdul Akbar Chitrali of Jammat-e-Islami (JI) said that it is requirement of 18th Constitutional Amendment, the power must be delegated at grassroots level.
He lamented that the incumbent government is not following the law and the constitution as it is using delaying tactics to further delay the elections in capital through these kind of things.
MNA Ghous Bux Mahar of Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) said that the government is running away from elections.
He said that early election is need of the hour to steer the country out of the prevailing crisis, but the irony is that the people at the helm of affairs are not serious about resolving the issues confronting the country.
Engineer Sabir Hussain Qaimkhani of MQM-P said the number of union councils in Sindh should also be increased with ratio of population.
The house also passed “the Federal Employees Benevolent Fund and Group Insurance (Amendment) Bill, 2022. The NA speaker Raja Pervez Asharif immediately prorogued the session after passage of the bills.
The previous session of National Assembly was prorogued on Tuesday which continued only for two days. After only a gape of one day, the government had summoned an emergency session of National Assembly on Thursday to get Islamabad’s local government amendment bill passed, aimed at increasing the number of union councils and seek direct election for the post of mayor.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022
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