THE controversy over Sindh’s local government law refuses to die down, as the PPP-led administration bulldozed amendments to the bill on Saturday in a stormy session of the provincial assembly. The Sindh Local Government (Amendment) Bill, 2021, which had been first passed by the House late last month, had earlier been sent back by the governor without assent as it ignited a storm of criticism from the opposition for apparently disempowering Sindh’s urban areas. Saturday’s session was anything but smooth sailing, as the opposition launched a fresh protest after the speaker did not let them speak on the bill. A walkout by opposition lawmakers allowed the treasury to pass the amended bill. However, unless there is consensus on such an important law, governance in Sindh will be affected and the continued poor civic state of its cities and towns is likely to get worse. While the PPP claims the opposition’s suggestions have been incorporated in the bill, parties on the other side of the aisle obviously feel the changes have not gone far enough. A number of parties gathered at a multiparty conference organised by the MQM-P on Saturday expressed their reservations over the bill, calling for more administrative and financial powers for the LGs.

Much has been written about the horrible state of civic affairs in Sindh. The PPP has concentrated nearly all municipal powers with the provincial government, leaving the elected local bodies largely toothless. The positive aspects of the Musharraf-era LG system had been done away with, leaving the province’s cities and towns in an utter mess, particularly Karachi. Therefore, amendments to the LG law are essential. However, bulldozing these without the input of all of Sindh’s political stakeholders is unlikely to improve matters. Even PPP chief Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari had admitted earlier that the LG amendments had been passed in “haste”, while the Sindh chief minister told the House that further amendments could be made during the PA session, though his choice of words on the ethnic situation in Sindh were inappropriate. Considering the sustained criticism of the bill from across the political divide, the PPP needs to further fine-tune the amendments and incorporate legitimate concerns, specifically concerning financially and legally empowered local bodies. Concentration of power either by the centre or the provinces defies the spirit of the 18th Amendment and flies in the face of democratic norms, which is why all of Sindh’s stakeholders need to be on board.

Published in Dawn, December 14th, 2021