May 8, 2005	Sunday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 28, 1426

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LAHORE, May 7: The provincial governments have finally been able to lasso the district governments by acquiring powers to set aside orders of nazims, practically depriving them of their independence which was the hallmark of the Local Government Ordinance, 2001. Such powers were enjoyed by the divisional commissioners under the defunct Local Government Ordinance, 1979.

This is in addition to the powers being given to the chief ministers to recall the nazims on charges of misconduct, official sources informed Dawn on Saturday.

They said both the powers for the chief ministers had been agreed upon during an inter-provincial meeting held in Islamabad three days ago. “These have been carried in the final draft of the ordinance which has been sent to the province and is likely to be amended shortly,” they said.

According to them, a new provision was being incorporated in the law to provide that “where in the opinion of the chief executive orders and actions of the nazim are not in conformity with the law or are against the public interest, he (the chief executive) can suspend and refer them to the provincial local government commission for inquiry.”

The chief minister would recall the nazim “if he feels that he (the nazim) is working against the law or interest of the people,” after asking the commission to hold an inquiry against him. The nazim would be removed on the recommendation of the commission.

Sources said inquiry in both the cases would be conducted by the commission comprising members mainly representing the provincial government. It would be headed by the local government minister with the local government secretary as its secretary.

There would be an MPA to be nominated by the Leader of the Opposition. But another would be the representative of the Leader of the House (the chief minister). The remaining two members would be technocrats to be nominated again by the government.

“You can imagine the fate of such inquiries by the local government commissions,” the sources said, agreeing that the district governments would lose their independence after the incorporation of these clauses in the law governing them.

The local governments formed under the 1979 law were subsidiaries of the provincial governments as they used to operate under the commissioner. Now, the same powers to the chief ministers would make the district governments subservient to the provincial governments.

The sources explained that the caretakers being appointed to run the district and tehsil governments during the forthcoming local government elections would use the powers of nazims. By and large DCOs would be made the caretakers but they would not be able to reshuffle their staff or carry out development activities in the areas of their choice, if any.