LAHORE: Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Ahmed Khan has called on the federal government to swiftly introduce 27th Amendment to the Constitution, if required, to strengthen local governments.
Addressing a press conference in Lahore on Friday, Khan said that the issue of local governance must be discussed openly.
He noted that while the National and Provincial Assemblies enjoy five-year terms, citizens lose faith in democracy when they do not experience its benefits directly.
The Punjab Assembly unanimously passed a resolution demanding a constitutional amendment introducing a new chapter to make it mandatory to hold local government elections within a stipulated timeframe.
The resolution also proposed that no political party should have the authority to shorten the tenure of a local body.
The speaker added that the caucus within the Punjab Assembly, comprising 80 members, including 35 from the opposition, is actively playing its role in strengthening local governance.
The resolution declared Article 140-A incomplete, emphasising that provinces must establish local governments and devolve administrative and financial powers accordingly.
It criticised the abolition of local bodies by the new government, noting that it took three years to draft replacement legislation. “Where I live, drainage and sanitation issues still persist,” the speaker remarked.
He further insisted that the Constitution must guarantee timely local elections and that local governments should be given political, administrative, and financial authority. “If the 27th Amendment is required to ensure this, it should be enacted without delay,” he said.
The senior lawmaker also expressed concern over lawlessness, recalling violent protests in Faizabad and on Murree Road. “I saw rioters digging trenches and firing directly at police,” he said, adding that maintaining law and order is the government’s fundamental duty.
The Punjab Assembly speaker also commented on the political climate, saying he holds Maulana Fazlur Rehman in high regard and respects his opinions. He noted the growing debate around the proposed 27th Amendment, stating: “A powerless parliament is worse than no parliament at all.”
He concluded that local governments must be granted constitutional protection and that the Punjab Assembly has sent detailed recommendations to Parliament for ensuring financial, political, and administrative autonomy. “We hope these proposals will be taken seriously,” he added.
This is the second time leaders from the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) have mentioned tweaking the Constitution in recent days.
Federal Minister for Food Security and Research Rana Tanveer Hussain, on October 28, revealed that the federal government was mulling revisiting the 18th Amendment “to align it with the country’s current governance” needs.
“Amending the 18th Amendment has become the need of the hour,” he said, adding that the PML-N-led government was actively evaluating how to adapt it to “modern administrative realities.”
