Islamabad Mayor resigns after Interior Ministry shifts six depts powers to CDA

Islamabad Mayor Sheikh Anser Aziz, who belongs to the opposition party Pakistan Muslims League-Nawaz (PML-N), has resigned from his post after PTI government shifted the powers of six local bodies departments to Capital Development Authority (CDA), reported 24NewsHD TV channel Tuesday.

The Mayor has sent his resignation to the Elections Commission of Pakistan, the TV channel reported.

As per the notification issued, the Interior Ministry took back the powers of six departments as per the section 94 (2) of Local Government Act, the TV channel reported.

Six departments include Water Management, Sanitation, Environment and all wings of Engineering.

The motivation stated that the decision has been taken in the wake of administrative problems being faced by the Metropolitan Cooperation of Islamabad (MCI).

The TV channel reported CDA will provide more funds for the better performance of these departments.

In May this year, Islamabad High Court (IHC) reinstated the federal capital’s mayor by suspending the notification of the Interior Ministry under which he was suspended from office for 90 days.  The mayor had challenged the orders issued about his suspension.

Expressing his anger over the manner the record was submitted, Justice Kiyani asked whether the mayor’s suspension was on the agenda of the seventh meeting of Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI), to which the secretary said it wasn’t.

The court observed that how the mayor could be suspended when it wasn’t a part of the agenda and reinstated the mayor.

During the proceedings, the Local Government Commission presented the agenda of the May 7 meeting and the minutes of May 14. Six out of the nine Local Government Commission members were present in the meeting and the federal government suspended the mayor on its recommendations, the court was informed.

Meanwhile, Kashif Malik, the counsel for the petitioner argued that the suspension of his client over corruption charges had damaged his reputation in the family and society.

It is worth noting that the Islamabad Local Government Commission is dominated by the PTI members and headed by local MNA Ali Nawaz Awan, also a special assistant to the prime minister on the Capital Development Authority (CDA).

The federal cabinet, through circulation, got the approval of the decision to suspend the mayor after which the Ministry of Interior issued a notification.

The commission took up the matter out of agenda during a meeting in which two members from opposition parties — Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed of the PML-N and Raja Pervez Ashraf of the PPP — were not present. Later, the meeting advised the government to suspend the mayor. The mayor was accused of corruption in awarding an Rs42 million contract for five intercity bus terminals, which the MCI had awarded last year.