Sindh moves to keep mayors, chairmen in power after term

Sindh lawmakers on Wednesday moved to overhaul the province's local government system, placing a proposed amendment bill before the assembly that could allow mayors and chairmen to remain in charge as administrators even after their elected terms expire.

The Sindh Local Government (Amendment) Bill 2026 was referred to a 12-member parliamentary committee for further deliberation, with the panel tasked with submitting its report within a week. The committee includes Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar as well as members from both treasury and opposition benches.

Under the proposed amendments to the Sindh Local Government Act 2013, mayors and chairmen would continue to function as administrators if local government elections were not held after the completion of their terms. The bill also proposes that the deputy mayor and vice-chairman serve as conveners of their respective councils and preside over council meetings.

The proposed legislation says the process for LG elections would begin 120 days before the completion of a council's term. A no-confidence motion against a chairman or vice-chairman would require a two-thirds majority. The bill also seeks to introduce an accountability mechanism for directly elected representatives and proposes making the metropolitan commissioner the chief executive of the KMC.