Overview
- The Sindh Assembly approved the Sindh Local Government (Amendment) Act 2026 by majority vote on Monday after opposition lawmakers protested loudly and tore copies of the bill during the session.
- Key changes now in force give the mayor administrator powers when a council's term ends, allow outgoing representatives to act as interim administrators until successors take office, and name the deputy mayor or vice chairman as convener of the council.
- The amendment also requires union council chairmen to report illegal construction to the Sindh Building Control Authority, mandates formation of a Conciliation Commission within 90 days, and requires a 120-day notice to the Election Commission before term expiry to prepare polls.
- Opposition parties MQM-P, PTI and Jamaat-e-Islami rejected the law as anti-democratic, vowed legal challenges and street-level protest, and said the package conflicts with devolution principles and past court guidance.
- Sindh government ministers defended the measure as a consensus-backed safeguard for continuity and timely elections and accused MQM of backing out of committee agreements; the next phase will likely be court review and intensified political mobilization that could shape how Karachi and other local bodies are run.