LAHORE: The Punjab Assembly Standing Committee on Local Government has approved the Local Government Bill 2025, which proposes a new local government system for the province in which an elected representative will be chairman of the district committee with the deputy commissioner as its co-chairman.

Committee Chairman Pir Ashraf Rasool stated that the bill would now be presented to the assembly for approval and the Punjab government hopes to hold local bodies elections in December this year.

The new system, if approved, would introduce several significant changes, including drawing new constituencies with the district administration assisting the Election Commission of Pakistan in the process. The ward system within union councils would be abolished. Instead, each union council will elect nine members who will choose their own chairman and vice-chairman. The elected members will be required to join a political party within one month of their election.

The nine elected members will also be responsible for selecting members for reserved seats—one seat each for women, peasants (or industrial workers in an urban area), youth and non-Muslims.

Initially, the Punjab government proposed that the DC would chair the district committees. However, the standing committee unanimously recommended a change to this controversial clause.

The revised bill now states that the chairman of the district committees will be a public representative, with the DC serving as co-chairman. But DC will continue to head all district authorities as well as the District Municipal Coordination Forum, a member of the committee said.

Published in Dawn, August 9th, 2025