PESHAWAR: The US Consul General in Peshawar, William Martin, hosted local government officials, including nazims, from across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at a reception held here on Thursday.

The event drew elected representatives from as far as Chitral and D.I. Khan, along with the minister for local government, Inayatullah Khan.

Mr Martin congratulated the officials on their success in the LG elections and spoke about the fundamental role that local governments played in democracies like the United States and Pakistan. “This is a great opportunity to meet leaders at the local level and make new friends here,” he said.

“Our partnership with Pakistan has so many aspects – trade, investment, people-to-people exchanges – and now I really appreciate the chance to engage with local government leaders as well.”

The diplomat shed light on the USAID’s KP governance programme – a four-year, $25 million project – to provide training and support to local governments across the province.

In all, 33 nazims and naib nazims attended the reception.

Published in Dawn, February 5th, 2016