Government Plans Special Administrative Status and Boundary Expansion for Islamabad

The federal government has prepared a plan to give Islamabad a special administrative status, under which the capital's mayor would head a newly structured administrative system, according to government sources. The proposal is part of a broader effort to redesign how the federal capital is governed.

Under the plan, the new administrative unit could have between 25 and 30 elected members. The mayor would serve as the administrative head of Islamabad, a shift that would give the city's elected leadership a more central role in running local affairs. Sources said Islamabad could either be granted a distinct special status or be developed as a model administrative unit.

The proposal also calls for changing the capital's geographical boundaries. Sources said the government is considering adding certain areas of Rawalpindi to the federal capital, along with parts of Haripur district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Some areas falling within NA-51 in Murree district are also under consideration for inclusion.

According to the same sources, authorities have set aside an earlier proposal that would have brought Gwadar or other ports under Islamabad's administrative structure. The revised plan therefore focuses on restructuring the federal capital itself while potentially widening its territorial limits.

The details remain at the proposal stage, and no timeline has been announced for a formal decision. If pursued, the changes would affect local governance, representation and administrative arrangements across the capital and the adjoining districts involved in the plan.