PESHAWAR, Nov 16: The federal government is contemplating to hold next local government elections on joint electorate basis in the four provinces and has directed the provincial governments to amend their respective local government ordinances, senior officials said.

They said the department of rural development and local government, NWFP, was working out recommendations in the light of the federal government directives.

They said the concerned department had no objection regarding the federal government proposal. After holding previous general elections on joint electorate basis there was no valid reason to hold local bodies elections on separate electoral basis in the country, the officials maintained.

They further said that the federal cabinet had already given approval to hold next local government elections on joint electorate basis, likely to be held in 2004.

The National Reconstruction Bureau (NRB), sources said, had sought suggestions from the four provincial governments and directed them to amend their local government laws.

An official, when approached by Dawn, said the NWFP local government department had proposed to the NRB to prepare a uniform model amendment to be promulgated in the four provinces simultaneously.

He said once the final decision was taken in this regard the Election Commission would also be directed to amend the concerned electoral rolls.

Under the previous local government law, local bodies is a provincial subject, therefore, the federating units would bring amendments to the electoral laws.

Sources said the local government ordinances of the four provinces had been placed in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution through the Legal Framework Order, and now no amendment could be made in these laws by the provincial government without prior approval of the president.

Previously, local government polls were held under the Local Government Elections Ordinance in different phases from Dec 2000 to August 2001 on separate electorate basis.

The same provisions were incorporated i the existing NWFP Local Government Ordinance, 2001, and the ordinances were promulgated in rest of the three provinces.

Now under section 148 (1) of the said ordinance, local government elections could only be held on separate electorate basis.