PESHAWAR: The stage is set for the formation of district and tehsil councils and subsequent implementation of the three-tier local government system, however, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government is yet to approve rules of business for its functioning.

The formation of district and tehsil/town councils is due soon after re-polling in 14 districts scheduled for July 30. The Election Commission of Pakistan has already issued schedule of filling reserved seats for women, youths, peasants and minorities in the district and tehsil/town councils and the process would be completed on August 2.

“A confusion would prevail if the provincial government fails to notify the proposed rules of business prior to implementation of the three-tier local government system,” an expert on local government system told Dawn.

He said that without rules of business, no government could function. Every government whether federal or provincial was functioning under certain rules, he added.

The expert said that rules of business would define role and power of local government system as everything had not been mentioned in details in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Local Government Act, 2013.

“These are rules of business, which tell you as to who is responsible to whom. These also explain that how someone will work in the system,” he said. The rules of business also defined working relationship which should be notified prior to the first meeting of district and tehsil councils, he added.

Minister says summary sent to chief minister for final approval

The expert said provincial and the local governments would have been really in trouble in absence of rules of business if implementation of the three-tier system was not delayed owing to violence and mismanagement during local bodies’ polls.

Sources said that local government department had prepared the proposed rules of business after thorough deliberations and consultations with all stakeholders because it was an important legal document. “The provincial law department has also vetted the proposed rules of business,” they added.

Minister for Local Government and Rural Development Inayatullah Khan told Dawn that he had approved the summary for the rules of business one and half month ago and sent it to chief minister for final approval. “Now the rules of business are lying on the table of chief minister. It would be notified after his signature on the summary,” the minister said.

Sub-section 4 of section 5 of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Local Government Act, 2013 states: “Government shall prescribe rules of business for local governments notifying structure and working of local government administration, groups of offices, allocation of business, appointment, posting, promotion and transfer of officers and officials, performance evaluation, channels of communication, coordination of local council business, consultation between offices and incidental matters for smooth and efficient disposal of official business.”

Under the new local government system, 24 departments including education, health, social welfare, sports and culture, revenue and estate, agriculture and livestock would be devolved to districts.

The local governments will be formed at district, tehsil and village/neighbourhood level after re-polling in 14 districts while elections in 10 districts have already conducted successfully. Around 42,000 elected people would start functioning once the election process is completed.

Besides district and tehsil councils, under the new local government system, the rural areas have been divided into village councils while urban areas in neighbourhood councils.

Each village/neighbourhood council consists of 10 to 15 seats in accordance with its population. Each village and neighbourhood council consists of 2,000 to 10,000 people.

“The local government law introduced in 2001 by the then government of retired General Pervez Musharraf was more elaborate as it was consisting of 250 sections while the existing law is condensed having 123 sections,” an expert on local government system said.

Published in Dawn, July 28th, 2015

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