RAWALPINDI: A year after people elected their representatives to the cantonment boards across the country, the federal government has realised that they were under-represented.

Dawn has learned that the 52 cantonment boards in the country have been directed to reclassify and delimit the existing wards for broader representation of their inhabitants.

A senior officer of the Military Lands and Cantonments said the number of wards in the Rawalpindi garrison city would be increased from 10 to 12, and the representation from each ward from 12 to 18. The additional six seats would be reserved seats - two each for women and peasants; and one each for youth and technocrats.

Under the Cantonment Act 1924, military members sit in equal numbers to the elected representatives in the cantonment boards to run their civic affairs.

Oddly, the PML-N government’s move for greater representation on the cantonment boards has perturbed the incumbent elected members. They fear it may lead to the suspension of the existing boards and fresh elections.

52 cantonment boards in the country have been asked to reclassify and delimit the existing wards

However, the military lands and cantonments official considered “increased representation a dire need” in the cantonments with populations of over a million.

“In the two cantonments of Rawalpindi, the civilian population exceeds 1.3 million. The population size of the cantonments will be known in the upcoming census, necessitating increasing the number of wards of the cantonment boards.”

Accordingly, for better delivery of civic service, delimitation of the wards should start now for the bigger and broader representation of the cantonment populations in the next election of the cantonment boards, he added.

Ten Category A wards of the Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) were not enough to address the problems of the residents, he noted.

But the elected members of the board appeared divided as the board takes up the issue on January 5 (today).

RCB Vice President Raja Jehandad told Dawn that the elected members of Rawalpindi would resist the move.

“In 1999 there were only 10 wards,” he recalled. “Today there are 20 wards together in the Rawalpindi city and Chaklala. No need to cut them up into more wards.”

RCB member Malik Munir, however, favours creating more wards and soon.

“The census will reveal the real population picture and we should prepare for that now,” he said.

His colleagues resisting the move “don’t understand the issue,” he said.

“The new system will be implemented in the next election and puts no additional financial burden on the government. After all, the elected members of the cantonment boards don’t get paid for their work. On the other hand, more cantonment wards will bring more government grants for development of cantonment areas,” he argued.

Published in Dawn, January 5th, 2016