Islamabad
The President of Pakistan has promulgated the Islamabad Local Government Ordinance, introducing a new structure for city administration. Under the ordinance, the Metropolitan Corporation will be replaced by Town Corporations.
Each Town Corporation will be headed by a Mayor, while Union Councils within the Town Corporation will have Chairmen. Islamabad will have three Town Corporations, aligned with the National Assembly constituency boundaries.
The number of Union Councils within each Town Corporation will be notified by the government and may be revised based on public feedback and recommendations, though no changes can be made after the election schedule is announced.
The Ministry of Interior may recommend increasing or decreasing the number of Union Councils within a Town Corporation, and the Election Commission will carry out constituency delimitation.
Each Town Corporation will have one Mayor, two Deputy Mayors, and General Members including Chairmen of Union Councils, four women, one farmer or worker, one trader or businessman, one youth, and one non-Muslim member.
Union Council General Members will be elected through secret ballot within multi-member wards, and the nine candidates receiving the highest votes will be declared successful. Successful candidates may join any political party within 30 days. General Members will elect specific seat members by show of hands, and together they will choose the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Union Council, who may also join a political party within 30 days.
The Union Council Chairman will serve as a General Member of the Town Corporation. General Members will elect specific seat members, who in turn will select the Mayor and Deputy Mayors by majority vote through show of hands. Only Town Corporation members may contest for Mayor or Deputy Mayor.
Where local government is inactive, the government will appoint an Administrator. Local governments or Administrators will have authority to levy taxes, fees, rents, tolls, and charges, which must first be approved by the government. The Administrator may increase, decrease, repeal, or grant exemptions on taxes, following government directives, which are mandatory to implement.
