The National Assembly Standing Committee on Interior has approved the Islamabad Capital Territory Local Government (Amendment) Bill, 2025, despite opposition from two Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) lawmakers.
PPP members Agha Rafiullah and Abdul Qadir Patel opposed the legislation during the committee meeting. The chairman said their dissenting note would be added to the committee’s official record.
The committee also discussed a dispute between Islamabad and Rawalpindi over land records covering 28 mouzas.
Islamabad Deputy Commissioner Irfan Nawaz Memon told lawmakers that the records of the 28 mouzas, which fall within Islamabad, are still held by the Rawalpindi administration.
He said Islamabad had requested the documents but was told that settlement-related issues needed to be resolved first. Islamabad has called for the disputed mouzas to be blocked until the matter is settled.
Rawalpindi officials argued that the documents previously handed over were only copies and could not serve as legally valid records. They requested the proper documentation.
Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry questioned why the records had not been transferred and said residents of Islamabad were suffering because of the dispute.
The committee chairman noted that Islamabad was previously part of Rawalpindi and Punjab before it was made the federal capital in 1960, after which its administrative boundaries were established.
Patel also highlighted complaints about illegal housing societies, encroachments and land grabbing in Islamabad. He said the committee had sought land records partly because of these complaints.
He also questioned the authorities’ response to urban flooding in Islamabad and Rawalpindi following recent rains, arguing that encroachments had contributed to the problem.
The committee chairman asked members to keep the discussion focused on the legislation and avoid turning the proceedings into a political debate.
Patel also rejected any proposal to make Islamabad a separate province, saying the PPP would not support such a move. He questioned what additional powers a separate province would actually have.
The committee chairman clarified that the idea was his personal view and members were free to oppose it. He also indicated that the issue could be put to a separate vote.
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