RAWALPINDI: The newly-elected Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) vice president has not yet taken oath, even though three weeks have passed since he was elected.

A peasant member of the RCB, Malik Munir, was elected vice president on August 26, with nine out of 12 votes, but has not taken oath because station commander Brig Hassan Raza was not available, and now Cantonment Executive Officer Dr Saima Shah is on leave.

Although he does not officially hold the office yet, Mr Munir has been coming to work and looking after the affairs of the board regularly. Elected members have also been briefing him on various matters, which he has managed to resolve with the help of RCB officials.

An elected member of the RCB told Dawn that the oath is necessary for the vice president to start work. He said the work of elected members in the cantonment areas was limited to improving streetlights, while all the main policymaking is done by the bureaucracy.

Earlier the station commander was not available, and now the cantonment executive officer is on leave

He said during an August 25 board meeting, Mr Munir presented a resolution to begin a monthly stipend for elected members, and demanded an office for each member in his or her respective ward.

The RCB management in response allowed a common room for elected members where tea is served free of cost, but benefits such as a stipend, official mobile phones and mobile cards were not allowed as per government policy.

The elected member said the government has not given any funding for uplift schemes in civilian populated areas. He said the RCB promised to spent Rs6 million in each ward through funds generated by the collection of property taxes after September 31.

Another elected member said the absence of opposition on the board and created problems for members, as the vice president-elect imposed by the PML-N has not taken oath and cannot do anything without the bureaucracy.

Former RCB vice president Raja Jehandad Khan said prior to taking oath, the work of the vice president-elect was illegal, and he should not influence officials to do the work.

He also called the August 26 election of the new vice president-elect illegal, and said it made history in the cantonment as a peasant member was elected vice president. He said the cantonment management wanted a vice president who would work according to their wishes.

Mr Munir was not available for comment.

When contacted, RCB spokesperson Qaiser Mehmood said the vice president’s oath-taking ceremony would be held soon, as the cantonment executive officer is away.

He said the vice president-elect would take oath before the next board meeting, scheduled for September 26 or 27. He said members would present their works in the board for approval in the next meeting.

Published in Dawn September 17th, 2016