Leaders from across the political spectrum on Saturday called for a robust, legally binding framework to ensure the constitutional, administrative, and financial empowerment of local governments, warning that sustainable democratic governance in Pakistan remains impossible without devolving authority to the grassroots level.

Speaking at a multi-party seminar titled “The Constitutional Future of Article 140-A and Empowered Local Governments,” organised by the civic platform Baikhtiar Awaam, lawmakers and political heavyweights stressed that the spirit of democratic devolution has been stifled by provincial centralisation.

The colloquium brought together a diverse group of political leaders, including former federal minister and leading member of Baikhtiar Awaam Asad Umar, senior MQM-Pakistan leaders Dr Farooq Sattar and Aminul Haque, PTI Additional Secretary General Firdous Shamim Naqvi, Jamaat-i-Islami leader and opposition leader in the KMC Saifuddin Advocate, PML-F leader Sardar Rahim, and GDA’s Hasnain Mirza, alongside several sitting and former legislators.

Addressing the gathering, Asad Umar underscored the need for a new ‘charter of democracy’ that explicitly guarantees constitutional, administrative, and financial protection for local bodies. He observed that persistent attempts to govern the entire country strictly from Islamabad and the provincial capitals had only bred administrative inefficiency and exacerbated public grievances.

Local governments must be granted formal constitutional recognition as a third tier within the National Finance Commission (NFC) framework to ensure an equitable and direct distribution of resources,“ Asad Umar proposed.

He further emphasised that elected local bodies require absolute constitutional protection to prevent provincial governments from arbitrarily dissolving them for political expedience.

Endorsing the view, MQM-P’s Dr Farooq Sattar argued that while the 18th Amendment was envisioned to empower local tiers of governance, provincial administrations had instead concentrated authority within their own hands. He noted that autonomous local bodies form the backbone of developed nations and remarked that the debate surrounding local government autonomy has now escalated into a critical national issue.

PTI’s Firdous Shamim Naqvi focused on the administrative challenges plaguing the provincial capital, asserting that a financially and administratively autonomous local government system is indispensable for a mega city like Karachi. He maintained that civic issues should be resolved directly by local representatives rather than forcing citizens to approach distant provincial or federal authorities.

Highlighting the legal lacunae, JI’s Saifuddin Advocate pointed out that Article 140-A lacks a precise, binding interpretation regarding the transfer of powers to the grassroots level. He criticized the systematic shifting of key municipal institutions from the city administration to the provincial government, a move he said had actively crippled local governance and compromised public service delivery.

PML-F’s Sardar Rahim attributed the provincial dominance over municipal bodies to the prevailing ambiguities within Article 140-A. He stressed the need to administratively unify Karachi, adding that sustained discourse on local governance is vital to raising public awareness about municipal institutions.

GDA’s Hasnain Mirza lamented that despite the constitutional commitments made in the wake of the 18th Amendment, both the Provincial Finance Commissions (PFC) and District Finance Commissions had failed to function effectively. He noted that legal loopholes continue to allow ruling provincial parties to maintain an authoritarian grip over local setups.

Former provincial lawmaker Bilal Ghaffar added that any meaningful consolidation of democracy in Pakistan hinges on an empowered local government system that pairs authority with accountability.

At the conclusion of the seminar, the participants consensus-built on a shared commitment to push for comprehensive constitutional reforms aimed at establishing an autonomous, self-sustaining, and legally shielded local government structure across the country.