ISLAMABAD: The Free and Fair Election Network (Fafen) has urged parliament to strengthen the country’s long-neglected system of local governments in a future constitutional amendment that truly reflects the spirit of Articles 7, 32, and 140-A of the Constitution.

Highlighting persistent gaps in the implementation of constitutional provisions related to devolution, Fafen’s latest policy brief, ‘Devolution in Practice: Ensuring Effective and Accountable Local Governments in Pakistan’, calls for comprehensive reforms to ensure continuity and autonomy of local governments across all federating units.

The 18th Amendment liberally devolved powers to the provinces but the same spirit has not been shown by the provinces in devolving political, administrative, and financial responsibility and authority to the local governments.

In a statement, Fafen proposed a set of actionable reforms to address chronic challenges in local governance.

Published in Dawn, November 17th, 2025