Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Ahmad Khan has proposed that the Federal government introduce a constitutional amendment to ensure the empowerment and protection of local governments, suggesting that if the 27th Amendment is required, it should be enacted without delay.  Speaking to the media, Malik Ahmad Khan said that constitutional powers must reach the grassroots level, and that every government regardless of political affiliation should safeguard the local government system.

“If we have to bring the 27th Amendment to protect local bodies, then it must be done,” he asserted.  He said that a unanimous resolution on the issue had already been passed in the Punjab Assembly and expressed hope that Parliament would give it due importance. “Local governance is a separate track and it’s time we discussed it openly,” he said, adding that while the 18th Amendment resolved many administrative issues, ambiguity still exists regarding the constitutional status of local governments. 

Malik Ahmad Khan emphasized that Article 140-A of the Constitution remains incomplete and called for clear legislation to define the establishment and tenure of local governments.  The Speaker also highlighted the inclusive role of members in the Punjab Assembly, noting that 80 legislators — including 35 from the opposition — are part of the Local Government Caucus. He praised Ahmed Iqbal Chaudhry, Rana Muhammad Arshad, and Ali Haider Gillani for their constructive role in building consensus. 

He said the caucus is playing a proactive role in strengthening local governance and that all political parties have supported the resolution in a democratic spirit. Reflecting on history, he pointed out that despite decades of debate, the local government system in Pakistan has yet to achieve stability.  “Every new government dissolves local bodies as soon as it takes power, and it takes three years just to frame a new law,” he remarked. 

Referring to the Punjab Local Government Ordinance (PLGO), Malik Ahmad Khan called it “a revolutionary law” that unfortunately became a victim of political rivalry because it was introduced under a military regime.  He stressed that empowering local governments through fiscal decentralization and direct public participation is vital for solving community-level problems. “If citizens pay taxes, that money should be spent on local issues such as sanitation, drainage, and graveyards,” he said.

“Without functioning local governments, who will address people’s problems? This is why public trust in the state is weakening.”  The unanimously passed Punjab Assembly resolution urges the federal Parliament to amend the Constitution to grant full protection to local governments. “Just as the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award is constitutionally protected, the same guarantee should be extended to local governments,” he stated. 

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)