PESHAWAR: Local government representatives on Friday staged a sit-in outside the provincial assembly building, demanding funds and powers.

Local Council Association, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chapter, organised the demonstration.

Mayors of city councils, chairpersons of tehsil, village and neighbourhood councils and large number of councillors gathered at the Jinnah Park. Later, the protesters marched on the Khyber Road and staged a sit-in outside the provincial legislature. The protesters closed both lanes of the busy Khyber Road, resulting into heavy traffic congestion across the city, which was already grappling with the protests of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf.

Speaking to the protesters, Himayatullah Mayar, LCA president and mayor of Mardan city council, said that the sit-in would continue till the acceptance of the councillors’ demands.

He said that since the chief minister and his cabinet members were in Islamabad to take part in the protests they had no time to listen to the demands of local government members.

Mardan mayor says ‘weakening’ of local bodies disservice to public

“The KP government has other priorities,” Mr Mayar asserted. He said that their sit-in would continue till the chief minister met and ensured LCA demands were accepted.

He said that local bodies in the province were in their fourth year; however, during this period they had ‘not received a penny’. Besides, he said local bodies were weakened as they were deprived of their powers. “Weakening of local bodies is disservice to the public as these bodies served public at the grassroots level,” he said.

On the occasion, ANP provincial president Mian Iftikhar Hussain criticised the provincial government’s policies. He said the provincial government itself repeatedly resorted to protests, but people were no longer willing to come out onto the streets because they had become disillusioned with the provincial government’s performance. He alleged that during the last 13 years of rule by PTI, the province had been pushed towards mismanagement and decline.

Referring to recent protests, he said that local government representatives, doctors, teachers and women protesters were subjected to violence, which he termed highly condemnable. He said the University of Peshawar was an internationally-recognised institution, but the teachers had been forced to protest due to non-payment of salary.

Raising questions about financial transparency, Mr Hussain asked where local government funds were being spent if local bodies were not being given their constitutional powers and resources. He said development work in the province was negligible, while allegations of corruption had become widespread. He also referred to alleged ‘misappropriation’ in university funds and the redistribution of development budgets, saying that despite this the public was receiving no relief.

He alleged that personal interests had been prioritised over public welfare for more than a decade, adding if the government did not recognise the people’s representatives, they had every right to raise questions. He said earlier the federal government had been accused of withholding provincial funds but that justification no longer existed as the provincial government had also ‘withheld’ local bodies’ funds.

Speaking about the health of PTI founding chairman Imran Khan, the ANP leader said timely and proper medical treatment of the former prime minister was the government’s responsibility, stressing that every prisoner had a fundamental right to healthcare.

Mr Hussain further questioned why the provincial government was willing to hold talks with other institutions and groups but not with elected local government representatives. He said dialogue with local representatives was essential as they were directly elected by the people.

He maintained that strong local governments were the foundation of strong provincial and federal governments, adding ANP had also demanded a robust local government system during the provincial government’s peace jirga and had presented a clear declaration for resolving the issues of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He said ANP stood with local government representatives in their legitimate demands.

Published in Dawn, February 14th, 2026