Labour unions and civil society organisations have rejected recent amendments to the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) local government law, calling them a direct assault on constitutional rights. The criticism comes ahead of local government elections scheduled for February 15 across Islamabad’s 125 union councils.
In a joint statement, the groups said the amendments allow businessmen and technocrats to occupy seats reserved for peasants and workers. They also objected to the reduction of women’s representation from 33 per cent to 7 per cent, describing it as engineered elite capture.
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The statement, issued by Coalition-38, said the changes violated multiple constitutional provisions, including Articles 3, 25, 32 and 38. It further warned that the amendments undermined the Charter of Democracy and placed Pakistan at risk of breaching international commitments such as GSP Plus and the Sustainable Development Goals.
According to the organisations, the ICT Local Government Act defines peasants and workers as economically vulnerable citizens dependent on subsistence labour. They argued that inserting businessmen and technocrats into these categories would effectively exclude the poor from their only guaranteed political representation.
The groups also criticised the repeated delays in holding local government elections in the federal capital. They noted that between 2021 and 2025, election schedules were announced five times and withdrawn four times without explanation, raising serious concerns over transparency and accountability.
They claimed that rewriting the law ahead of the February 2026 polls was aimed at predetermining election outcomes even if voting takes place. Reserved seats, the statement said, were the last foothold for workers, peasants and women in local councils.
Describing the amendments as exclusionary rather than reformist, the organisations demanded the immediate removal of businessmen and technocrats from reserved seats. They also called for the restoration of the women’s quota to 33 per cent and direct elections for all local government offices, including mayor and deputy mayor.
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The statement further urged full devolution of powers to ICT local governments in line with Article 140-A of the Constitution. “Local government is the foundation of democracy, and weakening it undermines the republic itself,” it said.