ISLAMABAD: The Punjab civil bureaucracy is under growing scrutiny for its repeated delays in finalizing a local government law that meets the approval of both the provincial treasury and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
Since the expiry of the last local government term in December 2021, the Punjab Local Government Act (PLGA) has been drafted multiple times but has failed to gain political consensus or legislative approval.
The Election Commission, frustrated by the prolonged delay, has called upon the Punjab chief secretary and the secretary of the Local Government and Community Development Department (LG&CD) to appear in Islamabad for a meeting to discuss the stalled process
. The PLGA has faced criticism from both ruling party lawmakers and opposition members, who argue that the bill undermines local government autonomy.
Political and Administrative Discontent
Members from the treasury benches have voiced concerns that the proposed bill would centralize authority in the hands of deputy commissioners, effectively weakening the role of elected local representatives.
Lawmaker Syed Zulfiqar Ali Shah warned that this move could “bury local governments,” while Ahmad Iqbal described the draft as dismantling local governance altogether.
The opposition has taken an even stronger stance, describing the bill as reminiscent of authoritarian measures implemented during the regimes of Ziaul Haq and Pervez Musharraf.
The ECP has expressed frustration at the lack of progress despite multiple amendments to Punjab’s local government laws and several rounds of delimitation exercises.
Most recently, the delimitation process for union councils was paused to allow the government time to finalize the bill, but the deadline for this extension has now passed with no substantial legislative movement.
Opposition Accuses Bureaucracy of Colonial Mindset
Opposition leader Malik Ahmad Khan Bhachar criticized the bureaucracy’s preference for non-party local elections and centralized powers, describing it as a colonial-style approach to governance.
According to Bhachar, the bill grants excessive authority to deputy commissioners rather than elected officials, aiming to bring all elected representatives under the influence of the ruling party.
He also pointed out that the proposal to hold union council elections on a non-party basis, where council chairpersons are chosen by elected members rather than directly by voters, appears motivated by fears of a political sweep by the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI). Bhachar vowed that the opposition would vigorously challenge the bill and advocate for amendments to protect democratic local governance.
