KARACHI, April 23: The Sindh Local Government Ordinance-2001 is silent over the issue as to who will run the affairs of the city government in case both the City Nazim and Naib Nazim are either out of country or are unable to attend to their offices due to unavoidable circumstances.
Such a situation prevails now as the City Nazim, Naimatllah Khan, has been hospitalised for treatment of his infected left toe and Naib Nazim, Tariq Hassan Khan, left for the US on April 11.
The city district government officials are unable to find a answer to their query as to whom the City Nazim is authorised to delegate his powers of running the city government affairs if he either goes abroad or takes a long leave, especially when the Naib Nazim is also not available in the city.
Under the SLGO-2001, the city Nazim has been made responsible for the city’s law and order situation and has also been invested with the powers of issuing Section 144 for preventing disturbances of public peace, danger to human lives and property and besides being chief executive of over 14 departments.
Though the Nazim has been advized complete rest, but contrary to doctors’ advice, he has been performing his duties by signing important files and issuing orders from the Aga Khan hospital’s (Private Wing) room as there is no provision in the SLGO whereby he could delegate his powers to some other elected representative.
Though the SLGO has spelt out a mechanism for convening the city council’s sessions whenever its convener (Naib Nazim) is either out of country or on leave, and for this purpose the council had already elected a three-member panel and anyone of them, on the basis of their seniority, can preside over the council’s session in the absence of the council’s convener.
However, as far as the matter regarding delegating powers to other than the Naib Nazim, the SLGO which gave birth to the new local government system and whereby the city districts came into being, has provided no solution for averting such a situation.
When the city Nazim, Naimatullah Khan, who is recovering fast at the hospital and is likely be discharged in four or five days, was asked by this reporter if there is any provision in the SLGO- 2001 whereby he could delegate his powers to any other person other than the Naib Nazim, he replied in the negative.
The same question was posed to the city council’s senior presiding officer, Muslim Pervaiz, who off and on presides over the city council’s session whenever the council’s convener (Naib Nazim) is out of the city/country, he, too, said that the SLGO-2001 is silent over the issue.
“In fact, I myself had once posed a similar question to the NRB’s chairman and the answer he gave me was that such a situation will never arise and hence there is no question of specifying any rules in this behalf,” he added.
