LAHORE, April 15: No provincial government has so far evolved any legal framework to devolve administrative, political and fiscal authority to districts as enshrined in the Article 140-A (1) of the Constitution.

“Legal framework is a pre-requisite to local government elections. Provinces are bound to undertake decentralisation process and devolve powers at structural, administrative and fiscal levels. Holding LG elections is just one component of this constitutional responsibility. The real question is consensus-based legislation on local governance -- pending by the provinces for devolution of powers to districts,” said a representative of Rural Development Policy Institute (RDPI) at a news conference at the Lahore Press Club on Sunday.

RDPI coordinator on local governance Khaliq Shah said it has been clearly stated in the Article 140-A (1) that: “Each province shall, by law, establish a local government system and devolve political, administrative and financial responsibility and authority to the elected representatives of the local governments.”

Local government elections would fail to deliver the dividends of 18th Amendment in the absence of the much-needed legal framework, provinces were supposed to develop. The Supreme Court has ordered the provinces to submit their schedules for local government election by April 30, 2012, to implement Article 32 and 140-A of the Constitution.

“We welcome the Supreme Court step and remind the major political parties of historic commitment made under the Charter of Democracy to hold party-based local elections within six months. We request the Supreme Court to kindly also review 26 petitions of various natures, pending with the four high courts,” Mr Shah added.

RDPI principal coordinator Abdul Shakoor said LG elections have been due since 2009.

After the passage of 18th Amendment, the local governance has now become a provincial subject, however, none of the provincial governments have announced even schedule to hold the elections.

He said it was a matter of great concern that provinces still wanted to continue with violation of the Constitution by not obeying the SC orders.

The Sindh and Balochistan governments have informed the Supreme Court that the law and order situation was not conducive to holding LG elections. The Punjab government, however, indicated that it might hold elections by August but refused to commit itself any further.

Mr Shakoor urged the political parties and provincial governments to legislate on local governance through wider consensus on priority basis before going for LG elections.

Women in Struggle for Empowerment (WISE) executive director Ms Bushra said actual reason behind the chronic reluctance to hold LG elections had been that major parties felt threatened that space and influence they were enjoying might be ceded to their rivals if local government elections were held, and their own hold would be diluted.

“The reality is that the problems of the masses are actually addressed by representatives of local government institutions, who work with them closely. In their absence, the people can only look to members of the national and provincial assemblies, who are hardly accessible,” she said.