HRCP meet expresses reservation on Punjab Local Govt Act 2025

LAHORE:

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) on Thursday raised serious concerns over the Punjab Local Government Act 2025 that the law centralises power and undermines the constitutional framework of local government.

A press release issued today by the HRCP said it held a consultation to examine the act that brought together local government experts, legislators and civil society activists, who questioned whether the new law meaningfully upheld the constitutional promise of local self-government.

Legal expert Sheikh Sibghat Ullah said that Article 140A of the Constitution guaranteed autonomous and democratically elected local governments with political, administrative and financial authority. He said the new act weakened this guarantee by making local bodies accountable to the provincial government and bureaucracy rather than to citizens.

HRCP Treasurer Husain Naqi criticised the re-centralisation of authority through indirect elections, bureaucratic dominance and the reduced role of elected representatives. Election expert Tahir Mehdi said successive local government laws had restricted democratic development, and this act followed the same pattern.

Local government expert Zahid Islam opposed the indirect election of key officeholders and referred to recent resolutions passed by the Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assemblies calling for constitutional reforms, including clear interpretation of Article 7, broader inclusion under Article 32 and a separate constitutional chapter on local governments. He also said reserved seats increased marginalisation and called for elections on a joint electorate basis.

HRCP Director Farah Zia suggested holding local, provincial and national elections on the same day to reduce uncertainty, a model planned for Gilgit-Baltistan.

Concerns were also raised over representation and equality. Aurat Foundation representative Nabila Shaheen said the act lacked clear guarantees for meaningful participation of women and disadvantaged groups. Rights activist Samson Salamat warned that the inclusion of faith-based declarations in a local governance law could undermine the principle of a civic social contract.

PML-N legislators Bushra Lodhi and Qudisa Batool maintained that the act would help address grassroots-level issues.

Participants criticised the legislative process, noting that the act was passed on the day it was presented amid an opposition walkout, raising questions over transparency. PTI representative Imtiaz Mehmood said the law effectively removed the role of political parties, an issue currently under judicial challenge.

Concluding the consultation, HRCP Punjab Vice-Chair Raja Ashraf said elections in Pakistan had historically remained contested.

Most participants agreed that local government was essential for democratic governance and effective service delivery, but the Punjab Local Government Act 2025 strengthened central control instead of devolving power.