President Dr Arif Alvi on Sunday returned the Islamabad Capital Territory Local Government (Amendment) Bill, 2022 unsigned and termed it “anathema to democracy”, explaining that if approved it would “further delay the local government elections”.

The bill aims to increase the number of union councils in ICT from 101 to 125 and direct election of mayor and deputy mayor.

The president also said that it was also stated that local government elections were delayed in Islamabad due to “malafide actions” of the federal government.

Last month, the upper house of the parliament passed the Islamabad Capital Territory Local Government (Amendment) Bill 2022, as the opposition lambasted Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani for “suddenly” summoning the Senate session requisitioned by the government without taking the opposition into the loop.

“Stop these stealthy midnight attacks on the parliament; stop undermining the dignity and sovereignty of this august house,” deplored Leader of the Opposition in Senate Dr Shahzad Waseem.

The Senate’s 323rd session was prorogued only 25 minutes after it was summoned—apparently to only pass the Islamabad Capital Territory Local Government (Amendment) Bill 2022. This bill was not part of the agenda of the hurriedly-called Senate session and was introduced in the supplementary agenda.

This infuriated the opposition lawmakers who came down hard on the chairman Senate for “blindly toeing the line of government.”

The opposition then staged a walkout of the house but returned to the house later. Sanjrani also drew opposition’s ire for not referring the bill to the relevant standing committee and putting it before the house for passage.

Earlier, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) dismissed as being in violation of the law, the federal government’s decision to increase the number of UCs in ICT from 101 to 125, indicating that the LG elections in ICT would be held on the already announced date of December 31.

The Interior Ministry notified that the number of UCs in ICT was increased from 101 to 125 under Sections 4(1) and 6(1) of the Islamabad Capital Territory Local Government Act 2015.

This move was strongly criticized by different political and public circles that saw it as a measure to delay the LG polls against the backdrop of increased public popularity of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) which won most of the recent by-polls of the assemblies.