April 4, 2003	Friday	Safar 1, 1424

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ISLAMABAD, April 3: Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi has said the local government system will not be abolished.

He was speaking at a seminar titled ‘Challenges of the Local Government: Impediments and Solution’, organized by the PML-Q at the party secretariat on Thursday.

The PML-Q president, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, PML-Q secretary-general Salim Saifullah, NRB chairman Daniyal Aziz, former minister Majeed Malik, MNAs and Nazims of different areas spoke on the occasion.

Mr Elahi stressed the need for strengthening the present local government system. He said no one would be allowed to dissolve local governments as these were providing very good service to the people at grass roots level.

He said though the local government elections were held on non-party basis, 65 per cent of the town, Tehsil and district Nazims belonged to the PML-Q. He said 24 out of 34 district Nazims in the Punjab belonged to the PML-Q.

Defending the decision to put a ban on transfers and postings in the province till June, the chief minister said the decision had been taken to ensure smooth working of the government machinery.

He said the government had decided to launch mega projects in various districts in consultation with members of national and provincial assemblies and through utilization of their funds.

He said a committee had been set up to improve local government law and bring positive changes to it. As many as 60 per cent district Nazims are members of this committee, he added.

Mr Elahi said he had been supporting the present local government system as he had worked as councillor, chairman, district council and provincial minister for local government for several years.

He said there should be no clash between the members of national and provincial assemblies and the district Nazims, and instead they should work for the benefit of the common man.

He said his government had decided to make changes in the jail manuals of 1823 to give additional facilities to women and juvenile prisoners.

Speaking on the occasion, Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Mohammad Yusuf stressed the need for bringing a change in the law to make it better. He said under the system, a district Nazim was even more powerful than the provincial chief minister in his jurisdiction.

NASIR IQBAL ADDS: The participants of the seminar were of the view that the local government system should be allowed to function smoothly and the controversy over development funds be resolved through a meeting of provincial governments.

They defended the system, saying the biggest challenge being faced in its smooth running was bureaucrats, who were creating rifts between parliamentarians and Nazims.

They said a committee should be formed comprising parliamentarians, members of provincial assemblies, representatives of the National Reconstruction Board (NRB), Nazims and councillors to evolve a permanent solution.

Rawalpindi Nazim Raja Tariq Kiani made it clear that the local government was not encroaching powers of parliamentarians, rather fulfilling their responsibilities to make the life of the people comfortable.

“I am not a head of a sovereign government,” he observed, adding that the local government was an extension of the provincial government.

He brushed aside the impression that there was a rift between Nazims and parliamentarians on the issue of development funds, saying the funds available with the parliamentarians would also be spent on the same constituency for the benefit of the local people. However, duplication of projects should be avoided as it would only mean wastage of money and time.

Comparing the two systems, he said the earlier system, which was fine-tuned for 60 years and implemented through civil services, only added to the miseries of the common people. At least, the new system has given accessibility to the commoners, he added.

“When we assumed power in Rawalpindi, we inherited 53 schools without roofs, 55 having excellent buildings, but no staff, 78 non-functional basic units out of 104, district hospitals without necessary equipment and out of order ambulances,” he said.

The Nazim said the local government solved all the problems without getting extra grant or funds. He also cited the example of Islamabad where the old system of district management was in vogue and where people were killed when they resisted the eviction plan at Sri Saral and Banigala. At the same time when the eviction plan was executed at Rawalpindi adjacent to Leh Nullah, people cooperated, he added.

“Why, because they have confidence in the system,” Mr Kiani said.

The Chitral Nazim, Shahzada Moeenuddin, asked the prime minister to convene a meeting of all chief ministers so that a viable solution for the smooth running of local governments could be reached.

“If we were encroaching the powers of parliamentarians then why they preferred to contest the elections of MNAs or MPAs instead of becoming Nazims or councillors,” he said.

Curbing the powers of local governments would be great injustice, he said, and deplored that the NWFP government was creating problems for the local governments. He regretted that all elected governments in the past had tried to weaken the local government system.

This system has also discouraged corruption by 60 per cent due to inherent medium of transparency and accountability, he added.

Mr Moeenuddin said parliamentarians should realize that funds were not given to the Nazims or councillors, rather these was allocated to district governments.

MNA from Mansehra Wajeehuzzaman Khan said a development fund of Rs220 million was allowed to lapse because of differences between the NWFP and local governments.

The Naib Nazim from Karachi, Tariq Hussain, deplored that the party which had boycotted the local government elections in Karachi was now exerting influence as it was now a part of the federal government.

Lahore Nazim Mian Aamir suggested that a municipal police force be established and a municipal magistrate appointed to implement the decisions of the local governments.

He said holding of local government elections on non-party basis was the result of the present cold war.