October 16, 2008	Thursday	Shawwal 16, 1429

ISLAMABAD, Oct 15: The government has decided to revamp the Local Government system introduced by Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf in 2001 to replace the 150-year old magistracy system, Dawn has learnt.

Although the government has reservations about the present system, it backed one of its basic ideas that executive magistracy, law and order and land revenue administration should not be part of the local government.

The Musharraf administration introduced the LG system, but could not implement it in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) and the federal capital, but the present government has decided to enforce it also in tribal areas and Islamabad.

According to a source in the local government ministry, the government believes that local government elections should be held on party basis. He said audit and accounts of LG institutions should be provincial subjects.

The government believes that besides the issues of legitimacy and non-involvement of stakeholders, the system has failed to provide good governance and ensure socio-political justice, local and national cohesion, public administration, law and order, price control, sustainable development process and state functions in accordance with the Constitution.

According to sources, the government is considering to introduce radical reforms in the system to make it conform to the spirit of the Constitution.

The government has decided that there should be two-tiered government structures as provided in the Constitution and local democracy will be in the form of local government institutions subservient to the provincial government.

The government believes that the institutions should have the mandate to perform municipal functions, local development, primary health, secondary level education and other similar functions entrusted by the provincial legislature. Similarly, the local government tax schedule should be revised to improve the financial strength of the local government institutions.

The LG reform measures also suggest that ‘vital and natural’ rural-urban divide should be recognised for improved delivery of services and effective and sustainable socio-economic development in the country. However, special dispensation will apply to mega cities like Karachi.

The ministry is of the view that regional coordination mechanism should be re-introduced to enhance the provincial outreach into district and improve the functioning of the civil administration.