The federal government is moving forward with two contradictory governance proposals for Islamabad. A committee headed by Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal has recommended establishing a new capital government as either a province or administrative unit with substantial powers, while simultaneously the National Assembly Standing Committee on Interior approved a local government bill that would preserve the existing bureaucracy-controlled system. The Iqbal committee’s proposal would transfer most government functions to an empowered capital administration, excluding only city master planning and law and order. In contrast, the approved bill would allow the federal government to issue binding instructions to Islamabad’s local government. The Pakistan Peoples Party opposed the bill, with party leader Syed Naveed Qamar criticising the government for avoiding local government elections while claiming to support democratic governance. An earlier ordinance promulgated in January to amend the 2015 local government law lapsed on Saturday. Planning Minister Iqbal said the final decision on which proposal will take precedence will be made by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, with the Iqbal committee’s recommendations expected to reach the prime minister’s office next week.