Sindh govt agrees to change local govt law, JI ends protest

KARACHI: After the Pakistan Peoples Party-led government agreed to revise the disputed Local Government Act, the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) agreed to discontinue their 29-day sit-in outside the Sindh Assembly.

After a visit to the JI protest camp by Nasir Hussain, a senior member of the Pakistan Peoples Party, and other top party officials, an agreement was made between the government and the JI.

The Karachi Municipal Corporation would be given back to local bodies as per the agreement. Further, the management of all education and health sectors, including hospitals and dispensaries, would also be transferred to the local government.

According to Nasir Hussain, the Sindh Local Government Act 2021 had been the subject of multiple talks between the government and the JI.

As an outcome of the agreement, the mayor of Karachi would serve as the chairman of the water and sewage board, which was previously curtailed in the act.

After the local government elections, the provincial administration promised to set up a board of directors for the Provincial Finance Commission (PFC) no later than 30 days later. After the current term of the local bodies expires, elections will be placed within 90 days after that date.

The Government of Sindh had agreed that a committee tasked with reviewing the Local Government Act would meet periodically to resolve disagreements over sections.