ISLAMABAD-Except two all members appointed by the government to establish all-powerful Local Government Commission under the Local Government Act Islamabad 2015, are pro-PTI, the ruling party. The interior ministry issued a notification with names of the members of the Local Government Commission Islamabad.
The commission is empowered to suspend any serving official of the local government bodies of Islamabad including even the Mayor.
The commission has now majority of members in support of the government.
According to the notification, available with The Nation, the commission will run under the team consisting of nine members. The chairperson for the commission is Ali Awan, who is PTI MNA and Special Assistant to PM Imran Khan on CDA Islamabad.
The commission has four members from the parliament- two representing government and two from opposition. Seemee Ezdi (senator PTI) and Raja Khurram Nawaz Khoker MNA Islamabad will represent the government while the opposition would be represented by Mushahid Hussain Syed (senator PMLN) and Raja Pervaiz Ashraf (MNA) Pakistan People Party (PPP). Apart from these elected members, the commission would also include two technocrats Ali Bukhari and Tayyaba Ibrahim. Tayyaba Ibrahim is the general secretary PTI women wing Islamabad region and also the president of women councilors’ network whereas Ali Bukhari is the assistant director at the ministry of Industries and Production.
Both of the technocrats are serving at the above-mentioned government posts and are therefore, the government representatives.
A representative of Chief Commissioner Islamabad not below the rank of BS-19 will also be the member of the commission. Director Division/ Finance Islamabad would serve as a secretary to the commission.
These members for being government servants will also go by the directions of the PTI government. This makes the members in support of the government up to seven out of the total nine members. Only two members are actually representing the opposition who are Raja Pervaiz Ashraf and Mushahid Hussain Syed.
The commission which under the law is mandated to check and regulate the local bodies of Islamabad independently is completely under the thumb of the federal government.
However, on contact with The Nation, Awan (Special Assistant to Prime Minister on CDA) stated that under the Local Government Act 2015 Islamabad, the members of the commission should be from specific government posts or ranks. Therefore, Ali Awan stressed that the commission was not representing PTI majority, but was formulated under the light of the Local Government Act 2015.
The commission is formed in order to perform functions enumerated in section 96 of the Local Government Act ICT 2015.
Under section 96 of the Local Government Act 2015, the government on the recommendation of the commission could suspend official of any local body irrespective of his/her post or rank for a maximum period of 90 days for fair conduct of inquiry under sub-section (1), or for preventing the official from continuing with any unlawful activity during the pendency of the inquiry.