‘Former president Pervez Musharraf’s decision to make local governments a federal subject under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution was illegal and undemocratic,’ he told reporters after attending a function at the ministry of science and technology.

The prime minister announced on Wednesday that elections for local bodies had been postponed till the improvement of law and order.

Local governments will be dissolved and administrators from the bureaucracy will be appointed to look after their affairs during the interim period. 

The administrators will start working on Aug 1. There is a strong opposition from different circles over the decision and some analysts believe that it will not be easy to replace the LG system. 

The five-year tenure of the local government will expire in October and there is a strong possibility that no more LG polls will be held and the old magistracy system will come back.

‘The tenure of present local governments is expiring and since it is a provincial subject, I and the president cannot do much about it,’ Mr Gilani said, adding that the provincial governments would take a decision about the future of local governments after more consultations.

Elections for the local bodies, he added, had been postponed in the light of recommendations of the provincial governments at a recent meeting.

The prime minister said he would send the recommendations to President Asif Ali Zardari.

In reply to a question about PPP-PML-N relations, he said the latter was a coalition partner in Punjab and was also supporting him. ‘The federal government is committed to restoring provincial autonomy.’

The government, he said, was taking tough and unpopular decisions to save the country from difficult situation.

‘I would not say that the government is taking popular decisions. We have to put the country on right track. We are democratic people. We have faced imprisonment not for becoming the prime minister but for the rights of the people,’ he said.

Referring to the passage of finance bill by parliament, he said the opposition was also there when hard decisions had been taken. He was of the view that the decision taken by parliament should be respected because it represented 160 million people.

In reply to a question about the imposition of carbon tax, he said as the matter was sub judice, he would not comment on it.

The prime minister said the government was facing two major challenges —improvement of law and order and strengthening of economy. ‘These two challenges are interrelated. Whenever there is a suicide attack, there is flight of capital from the country.’

He said the military operation in Swat and Malakand had been launched to save the country. ‘The internally displaced persons will start returning home from July 13 with respect and dignity.’