Federal govt decides to divide Islamabad into three town corporations

ISLAMABAD: The federal government has decided to divide Islamabad into three town corporations under a new local government system, ARY News reported.

According to reports, the new setup—approved on the Punjab local government model—will introduce three mayors and six deputy mayors in the federal capital. Preparations are underway to abolish the existing Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI) system.

Under the proposed structure, each town corporation will have one mayor and two deputy mayors. The mayors and deputy mayors will not be elected through direct public voting. Instead, union council chairmen will elect them indirectly.

Sources say Islamabad will be divided into three towns based on its three National Assembly constituencies. The town corporations are expected to be granted administrative and financial autonomy.

Several powers currently held by the Capital Development Authority (CDA) will be transferred to the town corporations in phases. The mayors will be given authority over municipal finance, drainage systems, and development projects.

The proposed tenure of mayors and deputy mayors in Islamabad will be four years. After the required legal amendments are passed, the Election Commission of Pakistan will issue a new delimitation plan and election schedule.

Officials believe the new system will help decentralize governance and improve service delivery at the local level in Islamabad.

Islamabad LG Elections

On December 26, 2025, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) issued a revised schedule for the local government elections in the federal capital.

According to the Election Commission of Pakistan, elections for general seats of union councils will be held on February 15, 2026.

The process for submission of nomination papers continued til 30 December. The preliminary list of candidates was published on 31 December 2025.

Scrutiny of nomination papers, scheduled to take place from January 1 to January 6, 2026, is currently under way. Appeals against the acceptance or rejection of nomination papers may be filed between January 7 and January 10, while decisions on these appeals will be announced from January 12 to January 15.

The revised list of candidates will be released on 16 January. The last date for withdrawal of nomination papers has been set for 17 January.

Election symbols will be allotted on 19 January, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) announced.