Combining 2 LG systems gives you the right recipe?

Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP)’s Kaiser Bengali – former adviser to Sindh chief minister on planning and development – has come up with a proposal to amicably resolve differences between the ruling Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), suggesting to adopt a new local government system comprising main points of both the Sindh Local Government Ordinance (SGLO)-2001 and the Local Government Act, 1979.
Holding a joint press conference with Zuhra Yousaf and IA Rehman at the HRCP office, Bengali suggested that the province should consist on districts and divisions jointly headed by commissioners, deputy commissioner and nazims. “The commissionerate system can work under the control of provincial government while the local government system under the district councils concerned.”
Under the recommended plan, Karachi shall be divided into three districts, Karachi, Malir and Lyari-Keamari, and all the districts shall have city district governments (CDGs). The towns that would come under their jurisdiction should be a part of the CDGs concerned.
Establishment of a Capital Town in Karachi was also proposed comprising the Chief Minister’s House, Governor’s House, Sindh High Court, Supreme Court, Commissioner’s House and other important places and institutions in the city. The Sindh government shall be empowered for appointment and deployment of government officers in the proposed town.
“There is a fight to get political control in Karachi and we have tried to resolve it under the proposed system,” Bengali said. “This system shall be acceptable to all political forces.”
Hyderabad should be kept in the same position – a separate city district government comprising current limits of the districts. The bifurcated districts from the old Hyderabad district, Tando Allahyar, Tando Muhammad Khan and Matiari shall continue to enjoy the status of separate districts.
Responding to a question, the former adviser replied that the proposal would be acceptable to all political parties, including PPP and MQM. “All the parties will have to show some flexibility to resolve the issue otherwise it may not be resolved.”
He added that the matter pertaining to delimitation of provincial and national assemblies’ constituencies should be resolved as earlier practice.
According to the proposal, each district shall have both administrative and local governments at the same time. Under the divisional administrative system, all the divisions may be restored and each division shall have commissioners and deputy commissioners in districts but they would not enjoy powers of district magistrates.
District and divisional administrations would deal with four functions: law and order; revenue (land utilisation); natural calamities and emergency responses; and regional planning and development. The taluka system would be abolished and their functions and powers assigned to the union councils. However, towns in the cities would remain intact.
Each district shall have a District Council headed by a district nazim. The executive district officers (EDOs) of different departments would work under the control of nazim. The local district government system headed by the nazim would have control of finance and planning, works and services (roads, buildings, transport and alternative energy), education, health (district and taluka hospitals, rural health centres and basic health units), social welfare, community development, and town planning.
The remaining existing departments shall continue to work under the administrative control of provincial government.
Bengali also suggested an amendment in the SLGO-2001 that women councillors shall be elected under direct elections with the women population casting votes to them.
The plan proposed giving status of metropolitan corporations to Sukkur, Larkana, Nawabshah, Mirpurkhas and all other towns having population between 250,000 to one million, called Metropolitan Administration comprising town administrations.
The towns having population between 50,000 to 250,000 shall be given status of municipal corporations and called Municipal Administrations. Similarly, other areas or talukas having population of around 50,000 be declared as Town Municipal Administrations.
Under the proposed plan, divisional planning boards shall be constituted for making policies regarding employment and development within the districts concerned. The Sindh chief minister shall be the chairman of the said boards and the commissioners as secretaries while nazims and deputy commissioners concerned and five experts as members.