ISLAMABAD: Jamaat-e-Islami Islamabad Ameer Engineer Nasrullah Randhawa has said that the only sustainable solution to the crisis-like problems facing the federal capital is the immediate holding of local bodies elections and restoration of an elected city government.
Speaking at the “Islamabad Governance Convention 2026” held at the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Randhawa said dispersed powers had contributed to the deterioration of the capital’s governance. He said those talking about introducing a new system should first give Islamabad’s citizens their right to an elected representative setup.
He maintained that the Capital Development Authority (CDA), the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration and the Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI) should not remain victims of bad governance under the control of one person. He added that the CDA had now become an “elephant” and that bad governance was the core issue confronting Islamabad.
The convention was also attended by Pakistan Muslim League-N leaders Tariq Fazal Chaudhry and Anjum Aqeel, Pakistan Peoples Party’s Syed Nayyer Hussain Bokhari, bureaucrats, business personalities and representatives of bar associations.
Citing figures, the JI Islamabad chief said civic facilities in Islamabad were almost non-existent. He said the city’s daily water requirement was 283 million gallons, while only 62 million gallons were available. Around 50 per cent of the capital’s areas, he said, consisted of unplanned settlements without proper planning.
Randhawa said that, in practical terms, only one government hospital was available for patients from Islamabad and across Pakistan. He added that the drainage and sewerage system was facing a severe crisis, while an outdated patwar system was still being used for land records.
He said a province may be created, but powers must be devolved to the grassroots level. He stressed that unless the city government was restored, powers devolved and the Metropolitan Corporation made functional, Islamabad’s problems would persist.
The JI leader demanded immediate local bodies elections in Islamabad, institutional reforms within the CDA to make it financially autonomous, and a fair distribution of powers and resources down to the local level.
He also called for implementation of a three-point agenda based on digitalisation, democracy and development. He said Islamabad would have to be brought under a “3D model” along with fair distribution of resources among citizens.
Randhawa said that by making institutions financially autonomous, devolving powers to the lower level, ensuring equitable distribution of resources and working on long-term plans, Pakistan’s capital could be included among the world’s model cities.
