Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are important phenomena in public administration and many reforms have been introduced in Pakistan to ensure the achievement of SDGs committed by the political leaders. This study targets SGD 11 that relates to sustainable urban development through effective municipal corporations.  For this purpose, the study explores the HR practices of public organizations operating under the Lahore Municipal Corporation and explains the institutional complexity of these practices. This complexity  arises from the lack of implementation of new HR practices that are at odds with the prevailing bureaucratic logic. The study supports the argument of the institutional logic perspective that multiple institutional logics co-exist in organizations resulting in contrasting and contradictory practices.