ISLAMABAD: A high-level committee has presented Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif with a draft proposal to establish a 27-member elected assembly for the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), along with a chief executive and 27 administrative departments.
The draft, prepared by a committee headed by Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, includes recommendations for establishing a formal Islamabad Capital Territory Government with its own elected legislature.
The committee comprises Federal Ministers Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, Musadik Malik and Rana Sanaullah, Minister of State Talal Chaudhry, both National Assembly members from Islamabad and the Interior Secretary.
According to the draft, a copy of which is available with Geo News, the proposed ICT Assembly would have 27 members, including 21 directly elected representatives, five reserved seats for women and one for minorities.
Each National Assembly constituency in Islamabad would have seven corresponding constituencies for the proposed assembly.
The Election Commission of Pakistan would conduct elections for the assembly, with all members required to meet the qualifications outlined in Articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution.
The assembly would elect its own leader, who could be designated as chief minister or mayor. The elected leader would serve as the Chief Executive of the Islamabad Capital Territory Government and remain accountable to the assembly.
Departments and functions
The draft proposes placing 27 government departments under the new Islamabad Capital Territory Government, with health, education, environment and municipal services among the functions assigned to the local government.
Law and order and master planning, however, would remain under the federal government and would be exercised through the relevant federal minister or an ICT governor.
All functions of the Capital Development Authority (CDA), except master planning, would be transferred to the new Islamabad government.
Under the proposed structure, Union Councils would constitute the sole tier of local government and would work with the Local Government Department of the territory government.
The current chief commissioner would continue to serve as chief secretary, while four secretaries would oversee different groups of departments.
The law and order and master planning departments would report to the federal minister or governor through the chief secretary.
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Legislative path
Sources said the proposed governance framework would be established through an Act of Parliament rather than a constitutional amendment.
The legislation is proposed to be titled the Islamabad Capital Territory Government Act 2026.
The new law would consolidate provisions of the ICT Local Government Act 2015 and the Capital Development Authority Ordinance 1960 into a single legal framework.
The draft will first be presented before the federal cabinet for approval. Once approved, the legislation would be introduced in both the Senate and the National Assembly.
A legislative committee would then be constituted, comprising the Law Minister, one Islamabad MNA, the Secretary Law, Secretary Interior, CDA Chairman and other co-opted members, to prepare the required legislation.
Under the proposed framework, the Islamabad Capital Territory Government would have full administrative and financial autonomy on the pattern of a provincial government.
All institutions already operating or established in the future for the ICT would function throughout the entire territory under the new government, rather than being limited to urban areas.
