ISLAMABAD – Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry has said that the people of all four provinces should be consulted on the creation of new provinces, adding that their wishes should be respected if they favour the move.
Speaking at a seminar on a proposal to establish a separate province for Islamabad, Chaudhry said Islamabad could become the first new administrative unit, although it was unclear when similar units would be created in other provinces.
He said the government was working to establish Islamabad as a separate administrative unit through an Act of Parliament and expressed confidence that the proposed model would be implemented successfully.
“The solution to Islamabad’s problems lies in this new model,” he said.
The minister clarified that Islamabad would not become a province but would be given the status of an administrative unit with powers greater than those of a province. He said other provinces could study the Islamabad model if they wanted to establish similar units.
He said the proposed governance structure had been presented to the prime minister after examining administrative models followed by capital cities around the world.
Chaudhry said Islamabad had originally been established through a presidential ordinance and the administrative system introduced there was intended to be temporary. However, he regretted that the same ad hoc arrangement was still continuing.
He said the Capital Development Authority (CDA) was responsible for development-related matters, while the Islamabad Capital Territory administration dealt with rural areas. He claimed that rural Islamabad faced greater deprivation than parts of southern Punjab.
The minister also called for an empowered local government system in the capital. He said Islamabad needed a legislative assembly capable of handling local issues, as residents currently had to approach the National Assembly even for minor matters.
He said legislation concerning Islamabad was difficult to pass under the existing system, whereas an Islamabad assembly comprising 27 members could legislate on matters concerning the capital.
Chaudhry further claimed that Islamabad generated more revenue than Azad Jammu and Kashmir, adding that the government was aware of the underlying causes of the capital’s administrative problems.
