PESHAWAR, Sept 26: Federal Interior Minister Aftab Sherpao said on Monday that the local government system played a pivotal role in strengthening democratic institutions and resolving problems of the masses.

Speaking to councillors of the Taraqi Passand panel and its allied groups from the Tangi tehsil in the Sherpao village of Charsadda, the minister said the local government system could be more functional if voters elected honest and dedicated people.

MNA Maulana Gohar Ali Shah, MPA Alamzeb Umerzai, Pakistan Mazdoor Kissan Party leader Afzal Shah Khamosh, candidate for district nazim slot Sajid Khan and candidate for Tangi tehsil nazim slot Mian Aminullah also spoke on the occasion, according to a press release.

Mr Sherpao stressed the need for bringing harmony in the federal, provincial and local governments in order to redress the grievances of the people.

According to him, local government is the nursery for grooming people for national leadership. “Local bodies are the basic institutions where people are trained at the grassroots level so that they can play a role in national politics,” he said.

Mr Sherpao said that President Pervez Musharraf was fully committed to the concept of local government and he wanted the system to flourish. He contended that it was the first government in the history of Pakistan to hold local body elections for the second term.

He claimed that President Musharraf’s power devolution plan was popular because a large number of people had cast their ballots in the local body elections.