A sub-committee formed for administrative reforms has proposed the establishment of the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) Government, modeled after New Delhi’s governance system. The recommendation was presented in an interim report compiled under the leadership of Barrister Zafarullah.
The report advocates for the devolution of powers from the federal government to an elected ICT government, ensuring democratic control and representative governance in Islamabad. It suggests restructuring scattered departments into coordinated institutions and creating an administrative structure similar to Gilgit-Baltistan’s provincial setup.
Key Recommendations:
- Establish an elected assembly for Islamabad (ICT), where representatives are directly elected by the people.
- The assembly will not oversee home affairs, police, or master planning, which will remain under the federal government.
- The assembly will elect a mayor, who will be accountable to the assembly and oversee administrative functions.
- ICT departments will be structured into four groups: Social, Economic, Development, and General.
- The Capital Development Authority (CDA) and other key institutions will fall under the ICT government’s jurisdiction.
- The current Chief Commissioner role will be replaced by a Chief Secretary.
- The Inspector General (IG) of Police and secretaries will oversee various departments, with home, police, and master planning remaining under federal control.
The Islamabad Capital Territory Act 2025 is expected to be passed to formalize these changes. For interim implementation, the President may issue an order under Article 258 of the Constitution, similar to the GB Order 2018. Additionally, amendments will be made to the Rules of Business 1973 to align with the new governance model.
The ICT government will have administrative and financial autonomy, following a two-schedule system:
- Schedule A: Home, police, and master planning departments (under federal government).
- Schedule B: 26 departments (under ICT government).
The committee is set to finalize recommendations next week, which will then be submitted to the ministerial committee led by Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal. A legal draft is expected within a month to formalize the restructuring process.
