Sources say the order in question is a special economic zone order, but the Justice Department is unclear whether approval was circumvented
The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) sharply criticized the ruling government for issuing an ordinance without the approval of President Asif Ali Zardari. This decision sparked outrage and led to a walkout by PPP members in the National Assembly.
Led by Syed Naveed Qamar, PPP lawmakers staged a walkout to protest the notification, which was allegedly issued without the President’s signature. The walkout left the assembly without a quorum, delaying proceedings by 15 minutes.
Qamar described the day as “the darkest in parliamentary history”, pointing out that no previous incident in Pakistan’s history involved the issuance of an ordinance without the approval of the President. “This is an unprecedented event and we will not accept it,” he said, adding that it undermines the constitutional process.
In response, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar acknowledged the PPP’s concerns and assured that the matter would be re-examined. He noted that conflicting information was circulating on social media regarding the order.
Sources said the ordinance in question is the Special Economic Zones Ordinance; however, the Justice Department remains unclear whether such an order was actually issued without the president’s approval.
Learn more: Islamabad Local Government Act amended and municipal polls reset
Earlier, President Asif Ali Zardari had issued an ordinance amending the Islamabad Capital Territory Local Government Act, reshaping the local government structure of the federal capital and forcing a fresh reset of the city’s delayed municipal election process.
The Islamabad Capital Territory Local Government (Amendment) Ordinance, 2026 was promulgated on January 9 and published the next day, according to the gazette notification.
The ordinance replaces the “metropolitan corporation” model with “municipal corporation” structures throughout the law. It demands that Islamabad be divided into three municipal corporations, each aligned “as far as possible” with the territorial boundaries of a National Assembly constituency.
Each municipal corporation shall contain as many union councils as the Federal Government notifies, the union councils to be demarcated on the basis of equality of population and administrative convenience, using the latest official census.
