RAWALPINDI, Dec 28: The federal government decided on Tuesday to hold local bodies' elections in March next year on non-party basis, and approved certain changes in the composition of union councils
and the procedure of election of nazims and naib nazims of districts and tehsils.
According to an official spokesperson, the decision was taken at a meeting presided over by President Pervez Musharraf and attended by Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, the four provinces chief ministers, National Reconstruction Bureau chief Danyal Aziz and Federal Minister for Local Bodies' Justice (retd) Abdul Razzaq Thahim.
Though the meeting agreed to keep the procedure of indirect election of district nazims intact, it decided to change the procedure of election of district and tehsil nazims and naib nazims as joint candidates. They would now contest separately.
Besides, district and tehsil naib nazims, who also are conveners of district and tehsil councils, would be elected by members of the council instead of the large electoral college comprising nazims and councillors of the constituent union councils. The decision put to rest rumours that the government was planning to hold LB polls on party basis, besides considering direct election of district nazims.
On a suggestion put forward by the provincial governments, the meeting decided to reduce the number of councillors in union councils from 21 to 13, including the council nazim and naib nazim. The nazim and naib nazim would also be members of district and tehsil councils, respectively.
A separate body has been formed to look into other proposals put forward by the provincial governments "for improving the efficiency and working of the local governments and their interaction with the provincial and federal governments".
The spokesman said the chief ministers were of the opinion that these changes were necessary to promote the working of the system and bring about harmony between the district and provincial governments.
The president and the prime minister observed that the local government system should evolve into a dynamic and futuristic system to provide durable solutions to the problems of people, the spokesperson said.
DATE EXTENDED: In a related development, Chief Election Commissioner Irshad Hasan Khan on Tuesday extended the last date for enrolment of names in the electoral rolls for the Lo-cal Government Elections from Dec 31 to Jan 15, 2005. The decision to this effect was taken to facilitate the leftout voters who could not get themselves enrolled as voters due to any reason.
According to the revised programme, the claims, objections and applications for correction by the registration officers would be disposed of by Jan 29 while the preparation of manuscript of lists of additions, deletions and corrections would be done by Feb 7 whereas the revised electoral rolls would finally be published on March 5.
RAWALPINDI, Dec 28: The federal government decided on Tuesday to hold local bodies' elections in March next year on non-party basis, and approved certain changes in the composition of union councils
and the procedure of election of nazims and naib nazims of districts and tehsils.
