PESHAWAR: Chairmen of tehsil, village and neighbourhood councils from across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Monday staged a demonstration outside the provincial assembly building demanding extension in their tenure, release of development funds and empowering the local government system.

They gave the provincial government until January 9 to meet their demands or they would again come onto the roads on January 14.

The protest was held under the banner of Local Council Association (LCA), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chapter, led by its president Himayatullah Mayar.

The local government representatives blocked the Khyber Road, a major artery, for three hours causing traffic congestion in the provincial capital. They protesters were holding banners and placards inscribed with slogans against the provincial government and in favour of their demands.

ANP leader Iftikhar says both federal, provincial govts reluctant to see local bodies empowered

Provincial president of Awami National Party Mian Iftikhar Hussain, general secretary Hussain Shah Yousafzai and senior Jamaat-i-Islami leader Inayatullah Khan also addressed the protesters.

Speaking on this occasion, LCA president Himayatullah Mayar said that the four-year tenure of the two-tier local government system would end in March but the provincial government ‘had not released a single penny’ for the developmental activities at the grassroots level.

He further said that PTI’s provincial government had clipped the powers of the local bodies time and again in these four years through amendments to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Local Government Act, 2013.

“The provincial government has literally made the local bodies dysfunctional by depriving their representatives of the legitimate powers,” he said.

“The ongoing protest was our 8th demonstration for our rights,” Mr Mayar said, adding after each protest, the provincial government held a meeting with them and promised to restore their funds and powers, but to no avail.

He also demanded of the provincial government to extend their tenure.

Mr Mayar said if their demands were not met till January 9 then they would stage a protest on January 14. He asked the chairmen of the tehsil, village and neighbourhood councils to immediately convene meetings of their respective councils and chalk out strategy for the next protest.

He also asked the local government representatives to also invite the masses to participate in their councils’ meetings to make them aware of how the provincial government had deprived them of the development funds and powers.

Speaking to the protesters, ANP provincial president Mian Iftikhar Hussain said it was extremely unfortunate that political governments were not willing to strengthen local bodies despite the fact that a robust local government system was essential for democratic stability and effective service delivery.

The ANP leader said the practice of providing development funds directly to members of assemblies was introduced during the military rule of Gen Ziaul Haq with the aim of weakening political parties and keeping local governments subservient, adding that this legacy still persisted.

He said it must be acknowledged that unless local governments were made strong and autonomous, provincial and federal governments could also not function effectively.

He cited developed countries as clear examples where strong local government systems played a central role in governance and development.

Mr Hussain said during authoritarian regimes, political parties were sidelined while local governments were selectively strengthened, creating an artificial confrontation between political parties and local government representatives.

He maintained that there was no inherent contradiction between political parties and local governments, and that such divisions were remnants of undemocratic eras.

He criticised the provincial government for refusing to implement court verdicts related to the devolution of powers to the grassroots level.

He said while the government portrayed itself as a victim when its own rights were discussed, it did not consider it oppression to deprive elected local government representatives of their constitutional and legal powers.

He questioned why powers were not being granted in accordance with the same law under which local government elections were held.

The ANP leader pointed out that the tenure of the local government representatives was going to be expired, yet the provincial government was not willing to hold fresh elections.

He alleged the government wanted to keep local governments as puppets under its control.

The seasoned politician said that if the provincial government genuinely struggled for provincial rights and autonomy, the ANP would support it, but if injustice and rights violations continued within the province, the party would raise its voice against it.

Mr Hussain appealed to all political parties to respect local governments and ensure the provision of their constitutional and legal powers.

He further said that both the federal and provincial governments were reluctant to see empowered and strong local governments, as both wanted local bodies of their own choosing, which was unacceptable.

Published in Dawn, January 6th, 2026