KARACHI, Dec 6: Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad Khan on Tuesday promulgated the Sindh Local Government (Amendment) Ordinance 2005, amending rules about election and removal of nazims and naib nazims and empowering the chief executive of the province to set aside or suspend any order issued by a nazim.

About powers of the chief executive of the province, the amended law says: “(1) Where, in the opinion of the chief executive of the province, an order or decision of the zila nazim is not in conformity with law or is against the interest of the people, he may, for the reasons to be recorded and conveyed to the nazim, suspend such order or, as the case may be, decision and refer the matter to the provincial local government commission for an inquiry to be completed not later than ninety days.

“(2) On receipt of inquiry report conducted by the PLGC, the chief executive of the province may take such action as deemed expedient in the light of such report, including quashment of the order or decision of the zila nazim.”

Besides, nazims and naib nazims have been empowered to take disciplinary action against local government functionaries.

The amended law stipulates that when “the naib zila nazim is absent or his office is vacant for any reason, the senior-most presiding officer in the panel elected under subsection (5) of Section 42 shall act as zila nazim and the next senior-most presiding officer in the panel shall act as naib nazim till the election of officiating zila nazim under Section 48 or naib zila nazim resumes his functions or as the case may be, a new naib zila nazim is elected by the Zila Council under Section 156.”

It said that the officiating zila nazim shall not be a candidate in the election for zila nazim.

The ordinance substituted subsection (4) with the following: “Where the motion referred to in subsection (1) is approved by two-thirds majority of the votes of total membership of the council, through a secret ballot to be conducted by the returning officer nominated by the chief election commissioner, the zila nazim shall cease to hold the office forthwith and the notification shall be issued in this behalf by the chief election commissioner accordingly.”—PPI