PESHAWAR: In a historic development, over 40,000 elected representatives will take oath for the new three-tier local government system across the province today (Saturday).

According to the respective district returning officers, arrangements for administering oath to the elected members of district, tehsil/town, village and neighbourhood councils have been made on the directives of the Election Commission of Pakistan.

The returning officers will administer oath to elected representatives at different places.

The oath-taking by councilors of local bodies in such a large number will happen for the first time in the history of the province.

Never before, so many seats were introduced in the local government systems.

ECP postpones oath-taking in Bannu local bodies over a petition pending with court

However, the ECP has postponed the oath taking and elections of the Bannu district and tehsil councils as a petition filed by some candidates has been pending with the Islamabad High Court, according to a statement issued by it on Friday night.

In Peshawar, which has been declared as city district in the new Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Local Government Act 2013, district members will take oath at the District Council Hall.

Additional deputy commissioner Osama Warraich will administer the oath.

Elected members of the four town councils will assemble at the Government Higher Secondary School City No 1, where four returning officers will administer oath to town councils each.

Besides, 29 returning officers will also administer oaths of the elected members for 346 village and neighbourhood councils in the respective areas.

With the oath taking and subsequent elections of the district, tehsil/town nazims, the three tiers local body system will formally commence functioning. The provincial government on Thursday notified the creation of four town councils in the capital city and appointment of Town Municipal Officers there.

On February 20, the ANP-led provincial government had dissolved the then local councils which were elected through the General Musharraf’s Local Government Ordinance 2001.

On the same day, the provincial government had notified appointing administrators to perform duties in place of nazims in the province.

The ANP-led government had also announced the holding of local body elections within six months after dissolution of local councils but failed to conduct elections till completion of its tenure.

Peshawar deputy commissioner Riaz Mehsud, who is the DRO, told Dawn that he had order deployment of sufficient police personnel around the buildings where oath taking ceremony taking place.

He said victory professions, rallies and celebrations after the district, tehsil and town councils will not be allowed.

After administering oaths of council members, elections for the district, tehsil/town, village and neighbourhood councils’ nazims and naib nazims will be held on August 30 (Sunday).

According to the ECP notification issued regarding the elections, the returning officer will proceed to conduct election of nazims first, in their respective councils.

The ROs will convene and preside over the first meeting of district, tehsil/town, neighbourhood and village councils.

In the first meeting, no other business will be carried out by the council.

Any member of the respective council may propose or second name of any member of that council for the office of nazim. Any member whether elected on a general seat or a reserve seat of that council, may contest for the office of nazim or naib nazim.

A separate nomination paper (Form XXXI) for tehsil/town council or a district council shall be filed for each proposal.

The nomination shall have signatures of the proposer and seconder as well as that of the candidate nominated.

A candidate may be proposed by more than one nomination papers but a member cannot propose or second more than one candidate.

Every nomination paper shall be filed with RO of the relevant local council by 1:00pm on the day fixed for the first meeting of the council.

The ROs should scrutinise nomination papers received by him/her in the presence of candidates and their proposers and seconders as may be present. A candidate may withdraw his/her candidature at any time before the election takes place.

The RO shall read out to the local council, the names of contesting candidates in the order in which nomination papers are received and proceed to effect the election by an open division.

After election of nazim, a naib nazim for each tehsil council or town council or district council or village/neighbourhood council, shall be elected in the same manner as given above for election of nazim of the council.

Published in Dawn, August 29th, 2015

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