June 6, 2003	Friday	Rabi-us-Sani 5, 1424

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ISLAMABAD, June 5: The Centre would draft new Rules of Business (RoB) for district governments in the North West Frontier Province to resolve the confrontation between district Nazims and provincial government, National Reconstruction Bureau Chairman Daniyal Aziz said on Thursday.

Talking to reporters after attending a meeting between the representatives of federal and NWFP governments at Peshawar to settle the issue of district Nazims, he said all the 24 district Nazims had refused to take back their resignations till the situation in the province normalised.

The NRB chief, who was representing the federal government in the meeting along with provincial governor Iftikhar Hussain Shah, said the powers of postings/transfers and distribution of funds allocated for the districts would remain with the district governments.

However, these were the two issues which had become the bone of contention between the provincial and district governments as they wanted to keep these powers with them.

Mr Aziz said representatives of federal and provincial governments would meet again on Friday in Peshawar to finalise the draft of the RoB.

He further said that the new draft of the RoB would not be contrary to the Local Government Ordinance-2001.

The NRB chief agreed with a reporter that there was a clear gap between the Local Government Ordinance-2001 and the existing RoB. “The previous provincial government had very good relations with the district governments in the NWFP and, thus, they had settled various issues with mutual consultation. But with the coming into being of new government in the province the gap has caused confrontation in the province,” he added.

He said district Nazims of Punjab, Balochistan and Sindh and Tehsil and union Nazims of the NWFP also wanted to resign but they had been directed by the federal government to show patience and avoid their involvement in the issue.