ISLAMABAD, June 4: The idea of reforming the local government system instead of scrapping it altogether because of its alleged misuse by the previous government gained more support in the National Assembly on Wednesday when the house agreed to prolong a debate on the issue.

But some ruling coalition members called for immediately abolishing the system that was introduced by President Pervez Musharraf as being “the essence of democracy” but was perceived as a prop for a dictatorial rule.

The debate on an adjournment motion from some ruling coalition members regarding “increasing corruption in the district government system and its failure” had begun in the lower house in April.

The house adopted a motion moved by Law and Parliamentary Affairs Farooq H. Naek to prolong the debate by escaping time restrictions of an adjournment motion, in a government move that seemed aimed at hearing more on the subject.

Another debate that began on Tuesday on an adjournment motion about last month’s missile strike in the Bajaur tribal area by US forces in Afghanistan was skipped because Interior Adviser Rehman Malik was unavailable to wind it up and was replaced by the one on the district governments, which was marked by more attacks on President Musharraf from members of the ruling coalition for allegedly using the system to perpetuate his rule.

It was announced that Mr Malik had gone to the United Arab Emirates with Pakistan People’s Party co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari to offer condolences on the death of a brother of the UAE ruler in a helicopter crash.

A majority of the speakers of the day, including those from the coalition-leading PPP such as Nadeem Afzal Gondal, Mir Munawar Ali Talpur and Mir Hazar Khan Bijrani, pointed to the perceived defects in the centrally-controlled local governments such as compromising the autonomy of provinces, use of the system as a political prop for the previous regime and financial corruption, and called for thorough reforms through constitutional or legal amendments.

Several of them, including Mr Gondal and Mr Talpur, wanted party-based elections for the local governments and direct election of district nazims.

Two of the speakers from the PPP’s main coalition ally Pakistan Muslim League-N, Khurram Dastagir and Usman Ibrahim, called for an immediate abolition of a ‘dictator’s brainchild’.

Even some members of the formerly ruling Pakistan Muslim League acknowledged the need for removing defects in the system, with Riaz Fatiana proposing the creation of local government upper houses including parliamentarians of a district to overcome their political clash with the Nazims, and Kashmala Tariq calling for a review of the Cantonment Act of 1924 to ensure civilian control of the cantonment boards.

Mr Bijrani, who said large-scale changes in the system were needed, proposed the formation of a broad-based house committee to study the matter and formulate proposals.

The debate was continuing when the house was adjourned.