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Political instability prevails as president refuses to sign Islamabad local government bill

In this file photo taken on February 3, 2021, Pakistan President Dr. Arif Alvi is pictured during a meeting of the National Steering Committee in Islamabad, Pakistan. (Photo courtesy: Twitter/PresOfPakistan)
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Updated 02 January 2023
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Political instability prevails as president refuses to sign Islamabad local government bill

  • Development comes a day after the election oversight body flouted court orders to hold elections in Islamabad
  • Ex-PM Khan’s opposition party has announced filing a contempt of court petition against the election commission
Updated 02 January 2023
SAIMA SHABBIR

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's President Arif Alvi on Sunday refused to sign a bill that would raise the number of existing union councils in Islamabad, a move experts believe would further deepen the prevailing political crisis in the country. 

The president’s decision to return the Islamabad Capital Territory Local Government (Amendment) Bill, 2022 came a day after the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) failed to hold local government elections despite the Islamabad High Court’s (IHC) orders and triggered a fresh round of litigation. 

The ECP and the government filed an intra-court appeal against the IHC ruling on Saturday morning, when the verdict required them to hold the elections. The opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, which Alvi is also a member of, announced it would file a contempt of court petition against the ECP for not holding elections despite the court’s order. 

“President Arif Alvi has returned unsigned the Islamabad Capital Territory Local Government (Amendment) Bill, 2022 in terms of clause (1) (b) of Article 75 of the Constitution,” Alvi's office said in a statement, adding the bill was returned as it would further delay the Local government elections. 

“Actions of the Federal Government taken in hurry resulted in delaying election process twice, which was anathema to democracy,” it said. 

After the completion of delimitation of 50 union councils, the ECP had announced local polls in Islamabad on July 31, but the federal government increased the number of union councils from 50 to 101, resulting in the postponement of the elections. 

On Dec 27, the ECP once again announced temporarily postponing the elections, citing a Dec 22 notification of the legislation to further increase the number of union councils in the federal capital. 

“After the demarcation of 101 Union Councils, ECP decided to hold elections in ICT on 31st December 2022. [But] Section 2 of the current Bill provides for 125 Union Councils in the ICT,” read the statement issued from Alvi's office. 

"Therefore, elections scheduled for 31st December 2022 have been again postponed." 

Analysts believe the move would further increase political instability in the country. 

Ahmed Bilal Mehboob, president of the Islamabad-based Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDAT), said the development would lead to further political turmoil and legal fight as both the government and the PTI have approached the court. 

“The matter will not stay in the high court and it will eventually go to the Supreme Court and the elections would take place as per the apex court’s decision,” Mehboob told Arab News. 

He said the government probably moved the notification to increase UCs to "sabotage" local government elections in Islamabad. 

“[Imran] Khan has also delayed these elections during his tenure as prime minister so this tussle between the federal government and the PTI will further destabilize the country,” Mehboob added. 

Former senator Sehar Kamran said the IHC decision to hold elections on Dec 31 was almost impossible to implement as there was not enough time for polls. 

Topics: Pakistan Dr Arif Alvi President Dr Arif Alvi Islamabad Islamabad Capital Territory Local Government Local body elections

A family, a recipe, a city: ras malai dessert defines a Sialkot institution

Updated 5 sec ago
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A family, a recipe, a city: ras malai dessert defines a Sialkot institution

  • Founded in 1947, Inayat Sweets draws devotees from across Pakistan and abroad for a dessert steeped in tradition
  • Customers and shop owners say decades-old methods, pure ingredients have kept taste unchanged across generations
Updated 5 sec ago
Waseem Abbasi

SIALKOT: In the narrow streets of Pakistan’s eastern city of Sialkot — best known globally for footballs stitched by hand and precision surgical instruments — a modest sweet shop has quietly built a reputation that stretches far beyond the city.

For nearly eight decades, Inayat Sweets has drawn crowds for a single dessert: ras malai, a soft, milk-based delicacy that occupies a special place in South Asian food culture.

Ras malai, traditionally made from fresh cheese patties gently simmered and soaked in lightly sweetened milk, is prized for its delicate texture and subtle richness. It is often reserved for celebrations, family gatherings and moments of indulgence. At Inayat Sweets, customers say, it has become something closer to ritual.

The shop’s story began in 1947, the year British colonial rule ended and the Indian subcontinent was partitioned, when its founder migrated from India and set up a small business selling milk and yogurt in the newly formed Pakistan.

Today, the legacy is carried forward by Abdul Rashid, who runs the shop much as his grandfather once did.

“My grandfather opened this shop in 1947 when he migrated from India. It was a very small business. Basically, we were selling milk and yogurt,” Rashid told Arab News.

Over time, the offerings expanded, but one item emerged as the shop’s defining identity.

“Our most famous item is ras malai, ” Rashid said. “Then we have winter halwas [confection] like carrot halwa, pumpkin halwa, egg halwa, beans halwa etc.” 

Rashid says the secret behind the shop’s longevity lies less in innovation than in discipline, and a refusal to compromise on ingredients.

“All sweets have the same sugar and ghee, but we do everything with honesty. Most important is everything here is made of pure organic ghee, milk is 100 percent pure.”

That emphasis on quality has turned Inayat Sweets into a destination rather than a neighborhood stop, with customers traveling specifically for its ras malai.

“God has been so kind on me that not only in Pakistan but from whole world people want the ras malai of Inayat Sweets,” he said, adding that family support remains central to the business. “I have big support of my wife.”

For many customers, the relationship stretches back decades.

“The ras malai here is the best. We are coming here for last 25, 26 years and by the grace of God no one has made such ras malai. Neither someone has made such halwas,” said customer Shahbaz Ishaq.

Others say they have searched widely, without success, for the same flavor elsewhere.

“This taste is nowhere in Sialkot and I have gone outside Sialkot and tried it in other cities. This ras malai can be found only in this shop. I am coming here since I was 10-year-old,” said Yaseen Chohan.

For some, the distinction lies in the shop’s use of khoya, or reduced milk solids, a labor-intensive ingredient that many modern producers avoid.

“This is good! Specially khoya is used in every product,” said Altaf Hussain. “It’s very tasty and high quality.”

Topics: Sialkot Rasmalai Pakistan

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