NA Committee Approves Islamabad Local Govt (Amendment) Bill, 2025

The National Assembly Standing Committee on Interior recently greenlit the Islamabad Capital Territory Local Government (Amendment) Bill, 2025, despite pushback from two members of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). During the committee meeting, PPP lawmakers Agha Rafiullah and Abdul Qadir Patel voiced opposition to the bill, with their dissenting notes to be recorded by the committee.

The committee also addressed a land records disagreement between Islamabad and Rawalpindi concerning 28 mouzas within the city. Islamabad Deputy Commissioner Irfan Nawaz Memon explained that the Rawalpindi administration still possesses the records, citing unresolved settlement issues as the barrier to transferring them to Islamabad.

Islamabad has demanded the disputed areas be sealed until the issue is resolved, while Rawalpindi officials maintain that the previously provided copies are inadequate for legal purposes and have requested proper documentation. The bill's sponsor, Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry, questioned the delay in record transfer, citing Islamabad residents' suffering due to the dispute.

He also highlighted concerns over illegal housing societies, encroachments, and land grabbing in the city, which prompted the committee's request for land records. The committee chairman urged members to maintain focus on the legislation and prevent the proceedings from devolving into a political debate, while Patel debunked the notion of making Islamabad a separate province, expressing doubt about the benefits of such a move and questioning the additional powers it would grant.