July 20, 2008	Sunday	Rajab 16, 1429

PESHAWAR, July 19: Federal Minister for Local Government and Rural

Development Ghulam Ahmed Bilour has said that suggestions have been sought from the provinces to bring changes in the local government system.

With their limited experience and abilities, nazims could not replace the highly trained and experienced deputy commissioners who were experts in handling any situation, he said, adding that local government system had aggravated the issues of governance and peace in the country.

Speaking on the occasion of graduation ceremony of the 65th Provincial Civil Service Pre-Service Training Course here, he said that bureaucrats must consider themselves as public servants and serve the masses with dedication, honesty and sincerity, said a statement issued here on Saturday. The officers must wield their authority by virtue of professional competence and people’s friendly behaviour to build the confidence of the masses in state machinery, he added.

Mr Bilour urged the officers to face every hardship and difficulty in the way of national progress with courage and patience. He said that politicians took the reins of state for a specific tenure and it was the duty of civil savants to implement the policies of the government.

“Even after sixty years of independence we could not produce political leadership with the attributes of political vision, passion for public service and austere life,” the minister said.

He said that military and bureaucratic leadership also had to share the blame for the present state of affairs. “It is unfortunate that in the present circumstances politics have become a stigma and therefore, the civil bureaucracy has greater responsibility to fill the vacuum and help the nation stand on its feet,” he added.

The minister, while talking to journalists said that military operation in the Federally Admini-stered Tribal Areas was the responsibility of the federal government. However, the NWFP government, he said was taking necessary measures to maintain the writ of the government in the settled areas.

Mr Bilour said that ANP was determined to follow the policy of peaceful negotiations to bring stability to the province, as there could be no development without peace.