Chief Secretary, Four Secretaries Proposed for New Islamabad Government
Draft governance framework proposes transferring most CDA and local-government functions to an Islamabad Capital Territory government, backed by a chief secretary, four secretaries, unified legislation and its own Rules of Business.
ISLAMABAD: A proposed overhaul of Islamabad’s governance structure could significantly reshape the role of the Capital Development Authority (CDA), with most of its functions proposed to be transferred to a new Islamabad Capital Territory Government (ICTG).
Details reviewed by Islamabad Tribune and corroborated by reporting on the proposed governance framework show that the plan seeks to consolidate functions currently divided among the CDA, local-government institutions and other administrative bodies under a single territorial government.
Under the proposal, functions presently exercised by institutions operating under the Islamabad Capital Territory Local Government Act, 2015 would also be entrusted to the ICT government. The proposed local-government structure would primarily operate through Union Councils linked with the ICT government’s local-government department.
Master Planning, Law and Order to Remain Under Federal Oversight
One important qualification concerns master planning. Published details of the proposal indicate that, while other CDA functions would move to the ICT government, master planning would remain under federal oversight rather than being fully devolved. Law and order would similarly remain linked to the federal government.
The proposed administrative hierarchy envisages the appointment of a Chief Secretary and four secretaries, with each secretary responsible for a group of departments. This would effectively create a consolidated territorial administrative structure resembling aspects of a provincial government while Islamabad remains the federal capital.
The framework also seeks to eliminate the distinction under which some institutions or municipal functions are effectively focused on particular urban areas. Institutions established for Islamabad under the new structure would serve the entire Islamabad Capital Territory, while federal institutions established to perform nationwide functions would continue operating in the capital under their existing federal mandates.
New ICT Government Act Proposed
A central component of the reform is the proposed Islamabad Capital Territory Government Act 2026, envisaged as unified legislation incorporating relevant provisions currently spread across the ICT Local Government Act 2015 and the Capital Development Authority Ordinance 1960, subject to the constitutional and legislative changes required for the new system.
The proposed ICT government would also be empowered to formulate its own Rules of Business for the conduct and distribution of government functions. Corresponding changes to the federal government’s Rules of Business 1973 have also been envisaged.
The proposals form part of a broader attempt to give Islamabad a more representative and integrated governance structure. Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal had earlier publicly advocated an elected legislative and executive framework for the federal capital, arguing that Islamabad should move beyond its existing administrative arrangements.
The plan, however, remains a proposal rather than an implemented governance system. Reporting on the framework says it remains at the draft stage and requires approval before the proposed legislative, constitutional and administrative changes can take effect.
