08 August 2004	Sunday	21 Jamadi-us-Saani 1425

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PESHAWAR, Aug 7: Governor Iftikhar Hussain Shah has announced that the next local government elections will be held on party basis.

He said that the party-based elections would help in strengthening the coordination and cohesion between every tier of the democratic system and people's problems would be solved accordingly.

Presently, the local government elections are held on non- party basis and affiliation with a political party could render an elected person disqualified from holding his/her office.

He was talking to a 30-member delegation, comprising nazims from Abbottabad district, that called on him at the Governor's House summer camp in Nathiagali on Saturday. The delegation was led by District Nazim Ghulam Mustafa Jadoon.

The governor said that the process of establishing the Public Safety Commissions would be accelerated.

Mr Shah, while referring to the points raised by the delegation about the local government system, said that in fact the new system had replaced the century old colonial system, and was therefore confronting certain problems. However, he said, one thing was clear that without empowering people at the grass-roots level, problems could not be solved effectively.

Referring to certain complaints raised by the members of the delegation about the health, education and local government departments, the governor urged the participants to raise the issues with the respective quarters directly.

He acceded to certain suggestions relating to coordination between various tiers of the system and assured the delegation that he would take up the points with the National Reconstruction Bureau and other relevant quarters.

CRASH CONDOLED: The governor expressed grief and shock over the crash of the Pakistan Army's Helicopter in Karak district which claimed precious lives of a number of officers the other day.

In a condolence message issued here the governor called it a national loss. Expressing his sympathies with the members of the bereaved families, he prayed that Allah Almighty may rest the departed souls in eternal peace and tranquillity and grant them courage to bear the loss.

The governor also expressed grief over the sad demise of the sister of MMA leader Qazi Hussain Ahmad.