Stakeholders have demanded holding local government elections without any delay.
Despite the need to improve existing laws, the government’s focus should be on holding elections on time.
Experts believe that meaningful devolution, financial autonomy, and authority over development planning must be ensured through an inclusive, efficient, effective, and accountable local government system to restore public trust and strengthen democracy.
Arshad Mahmood Mirza, Executive Director of Baidarie, said that the elected representatives can understand their legal, technical and financial limitations once they take office. He stated that the collective voice will carry substantial weight while advocating for further reforms in the Local Government Act 2025. According to him, elected local leadership is better positioned to express citizens’ needs and highlight issues directly affecting their constituencies.
Discussing gaps in the 2025 Act, he said that political parties may distance themselves from the new local government structure due to its design. The law allows candidates to contest elections independently and join political parties later within a set timeframe, instead of contesting directly from the platforms of their choice. He said this deprives voters of clarity regarding the political affiliation of candidates and weakens transparency in the electoral process.
He said it cannot be assumed that women will independently contest and win general seats, particularly under existing cultural constraints. In many cases, he added, women end up serving as proxies for male power structures rather than representing women’s issues.
Arshad Mirza further highlighted longstanding issues, including trust deficit, low voter turnout and the absence of practical mechanisms for devolution. He said decentralisation remains incomplete despite commitments made after the 18th Amendment. He added that the new law comes at a time when discussions on the 28th Amendment are underway, including demands—particularly from MQM—for constitutional protection for local governments.
He pointed out that entities such as environmental authorities, water and sanitation agencies and other provincial bodies continue to function in parallel to local governments, limiting the operational space of elected institutions.
Salman Abid, senior analyst, observed that abolishing district councils would lead to fragmented development. Instead of a unified district-wide approach, each tehsil will make independent decisions, which he said could create disparities and affect planning, implementation and coherence in development initiatives.
He questioned whether the 2025 Act strengthens local autonomy or tightens control. He added that the constitutional requirement of ensuring political, administrative and financial autonomy has not been fulfilled. He stated that major development projects are often decided directly by bureaucrats without having an assessment of the factual needs of people. He said this imbalance persists because both bureaucrats and legislators compete for control of development funds, leaving local governments sidelined.
Irfan Mufti, senior political economist, said the 18th Amendment mandates devolution from federal to provincial and then to local tiers. But this second-tier devolution has not occurred. According to him, power remains centralised, and the new Act does not appear to grant meaningful authority to local governments.
He also raised concerns about bureaucratic dominance under the new system. Instead of balancing authority between elected representatives and the civil administration, the new arrangement strengthens bureaucratic control. He added that even at the provincial level, many MPAs and MNAs lack authority while bureaucratic institutions lead development planning and execution.
Hina Noreen Advocate highlighted the importance of national identity cards, voter registration and public awareness programs. She suggested holding awareness initiatives, including Facebook live sessions and media forums regularly, to inform citizens about identity card registration and voter information services. Citizens can verify their voting details by sending their CNIC number to 8300, she added.
