LAHORE: Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan has reiterated the urgent need for strong and functional local governments, declaring that “a government cannot breathe without local government”.

He was addressing a national conference titled “Local Governance in Pakistan: Empowering Communication” at Beaconhouse National University (BNU).

The speaker stressed that local bodies were as essential to state structure as the federal and provincial tiers, and that Pakistan’s governance system could not function effectively without empowering people at the grassroots level.

He described the establishment of a robust local government system as the “incomplete agenda” of the 1973 Constitution, calling for the institutionalisation and constitutional protection of local bodies.

Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan highlighted a rare moment of political consensus when major political parties — including the PTI — joined hands to pass a unanimous resolution supporting stronger local governance, despite an atmosphere where political dialogue is often restricted.

He made a strong case for devolution of power, arguing that governments become stronger when authority is shared. He warned that the bond between the state and its citizens weakens when local communities are not empowered.

“If local people are not empowered, the state’s agreement with its citizens will be weakened,” he said.

Pointing to deep inequalities in resource distribution, he compared the annual spending on an elite-school student (Rs60,000) to that of a village child (Rs16,000), calling for a fairer system.

He also suggested that the NFC Award should devolve further down to ensure equitable access to resources.

Raising concerns about the sustainability of centralised decision-making, the speaker asked, “How long will 250 million people be run by 1,100 or 1,200 people?”

He stressed the need for “local ownership” so that citizens feel directly connected to the affairs of the state.

He also praised the vision of early reformers who, 140 years ago, correctly identified that the issues like healthcare could best be addressed through empowered local governments — an insight he said was still relevant and perhaps more progressive than today’s approaches.

Concluding his address, he called for renewed national dialogue and decisive action to safeguard and strengthen local governance, ensuring its rightful place in Pakistan’s constitutional and administrative framework.

Published in Dawn, December 2nd, 2025