Karachi: Sindh has become the first province in the country to reserve one per cent seats each for people of determination and members of the transgender community in local government councils.
The proposal to reserve seats for the special persons and transgender people was formalised as the Sindh Assembly in a chaotic session passed into law the Sindh Local Government (Amendment) Bill-2021.
The provincial assembly had to consider the bill again as the Sindh Governor Imran Ismail returned it without his assent raising objections to certain clauses.
The proceedings of the House turned chaotic as the Opposition legislators protested against what they termed an attempt on the part of the government to further weaken the authority of the municipal agencies in the province.
Sindh Chief Minister, Syed Murad Ali Shah, recently told journalists at a press conference that the seats in the local councils were being reserved to empower transgender people and special persons as the marginalised sections of the society and to enable them to become a part of the mainstream of society.
The members of the transgender community and people of determination each will get one per cent or at least one seat each in every local government council of Sindh including the Karachi’s City Council.
The newly-passed amendment bill also withdrew the provision contained in its previous version related to the use of secret ballot so that the system of open ballot or show of hands will be used to elect mayors and chairmen as being the heads of the municipal agencies in Sindh.
The mayors of the cities will also be required to become a duly elected member of the respective city council.
The Opposition political parties in the province have demanded that the system of secret balloting shouldn’t be used for electing heads of the municipal agencies, while mayor should be a member of the city council as his qualification for the mayoral office.
The amendment bill also empowers mayors and chairmen of municipal agencies to get supervisory powers related to the law and order issues in their respective areas.
