The Punjab Assembly Standing Committee on Local Government has approved the Local Government Bill 2025, which will introduce a new local government system in Punjab.  Chairman of the committee, Peer Ashraf Rasool, stated that the bill will now be presented for approval in the assembly, and the Punjab government aims to hold local government elections by December this year. 

According to the bill, new delimitations will be made in Punjab, with district administration assisting the Election Commission in the process. The ward system in union councils will be abolished, and nine members will be elected from each union council. These elected members will be required to join a political party within one month.

The nine elected members will choose their chairman and vice chairman themselves and will also elect members for reserved seats.  The standing committee has amended a controversial clause that proposed appointing the Deputy Commissioner (DC) as chairman of district committees. Now, the chairpersons of district committees will be elected public representatives, with the DC serving as the co-chairperson. 

Earlier, the Punjab government had proposed appointing the DC as chairman of district committees in the Local Government Bill 2025, but this was changed following the unanimous recommendation of the standing committee.  According to the bill, the head of the largest local government by population will serve as chairman of the district committees for six months, followed by the head of the second-largest local government for the next six months.

This rotation will continue, with each local government head serving as chairman for six months. If a local government head is not available, the next district will be considered.  The Punjab Assembly Standing Committee on Local Government is providing weekly clause-wise briefings on the proposed bill. The bill will be presented in the assembly session for approval, with the final approval to be given by the Governor of Punjab. 

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)