June 2, 2003	Monday	Rabi-us-Sani 1, 1424

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PESHAWAR, June 1: Nazims of all the 24 districts of the NWFP on Sunday claimed to have resigned in protest against the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal government’s what they termed mala fide restrictions on the district governments.

Speaking at a hurriedly called press conference here Nazim Kohat district Malik Assad Khan said that they had sent in their resignations to President Gen Pervez Musharraf, who would receive it by Monday morning.

Nazims from every district of the province, including Peshawar, Nowshera, Laki Marwat, Bannu, Abbottabad, Chitral, and Kohistan were present on the occasion.

Announcing their collective decision to resign, Malik Assad said: “It is up to the president to accept or reject our resignations.”

He, however, said that district Nazims would continue to attend their respective offices till the acceptance of their resignations.

Tension between district nazims and the NWFP government intensified in the wake of the latter’s intention to “remove” Nazims of Bannu and Kohistan district through a resolution in the provincial assembly.

The NWFP assembly is scheduled to take up the resolution for discussion on Monday.

Malik Asad said that in their resignations, Nazims had expressed their inability to work in such stifling environment.

In reply to a question as to why resignations had not been handed over to the chief minister, Mr Asad said that they had decided to hand in their resignations to the president as the local government system had been introduced by the president, adding that he was the competent authority in accordance with the Local Government Ordinance, 2001.

Criticizing the NWFP chief minister’s policies and without specifying the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-F, he blamed “a component party of the MMA government” for trying to derail the local government system in the province.

Dismissing the fear of victimization under the garb of accountability, Malik Assad said that the provincial government was trying to blackmail them in the name of accountability.

Mr Asad said that inquiries had been instituted against Nazims of Kohistan and Bannu districts while inquiries were likely to begun against Nazims of Kohat, Nowshera, Abbotabad and Karak districts.

Enumerating Nazims’ grievances, he said that the role of the district Nazims had been minimised, their powers — granted under the Local Government Ordinance 2001 — had been curtailed, adding that Nazims had been rendered powerless in matter like postings and transfers, appointments and distribution of development funds.

The provincial government, he said, had filed baseless charges against the district Nazims, accusing it of initiating a “one-sided action” against them.

Malik Assad said that Nazims accused the National Reconstruction Bureau of inaction, saying that no action had been taken despite repeated requests to look into the matter.

He said that the Nazims also tried to hold meeting with President Musharraf to inform him about the situation, but the president did not give time to hear their grievances.