June 20, 2003	Friday	Rabi-us-Sani 19, 1424

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QUETTA, June 19: Fifteen of the Balochistan district Nazims on Thursday threatened to resign if they were not given powers in accordance with the Local Government Ordinance 2001 by July 15.

Sardar Mohammad Aslam Bizenjo, while speaking on behalf of the disgruntled Nazims at a press conference here, said that they would also submit their resignations to President Pervez Musharraf if their demands were not met by the expiry of the deadline.

Accusing the bureaucracy of trying to sabotage the local government system, he said that it was surprising that the provincial government had not sought inputs from the district Nazims regarding district development, ignoring the public representatives in this regard.

Bureaucracy, he said, was unwilling to give adequate powers to the public representatives, adding that in many of the districts in Balochistan, ministers were making posting and transfers without taking the nazims into confidence.

Accusing provincial ministers of excess interference in matter of the local government, Mr Bizenjo reminded that the district nazims had been empowered to make postings and transfers of government officials between BPS-11 and BPS-16, adding that decisions in this regard were being taken by ministers.

Mr Bizenjo said that the decision to tender resignation had been taken during a meeting of Nazims here.

Accusing the provincial authorities of inaction, he said that district Nazims had thrice held negotiations with the provincial government in this regard without achieving anything.

He said that they had also decided to set up a committee to hold talks with the higher authorities regarding the problems faced by the Nazims, adding that the committee would comprise Mir Maula Bukhsh Dashti, Mohammad Shafiq Mandokhel, Dr Gohar Ijaz, Nawabzada Khalid Magsi, Mir Arif Jan Mohammad Hasni and Syed Kabir Ahmed.