KARACHI: Governor Sindh Ishratul Ebad and Chief Minister Sindh Syed Qaim Ali Shah on Friday signed the summary of the new law on local government institutions, DawnNews reported.

The new law, which had been named “People’s Metropolitan Corporation Ordinance 2012”, was signed after days of intense deliberations between the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), the two major parties in Sindh’s ruling coalition.

Sources said the draft law envisaged that five cities in the province — Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Larkana and Mirpurkhas — would have metropolitan corporations, to be headed by mayors. The other districts would have district councils.

Earlier on Thursday, the PPP and the MQM, had finalised the draft law on local government institutions, provincial information minister Sharjeel Memon, who was privy to the discussions at the Chief Minister’s House, had told journalists.

Sources had said that it appeared that members of the two parties were under instructions to end their deliberations only after an understanding had been achieved.

The breakthrough came when Governor Ibad and Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah joined the deliberations, the sources said.

They said that PPP’s Pir Mazharul Haq had held discussions on the subject with members of the Pakistan Muslim League – Functional (PML-F), Pakistan Muslim League – Quaid (PML-Q) and Awami National Party (ANP) and that their views had been incorporated into the draft law.