PESHAWAR, July 29: Nazims of various districts of the NWFP will meet in Nowshera on July 31 to devise a strategy for countering any move against the local government system and restoration of the magistracy system.

A district nazim told Dawn that both the federal and provincial ministers for local government were brothers belonging to the same party and whatever they planned would be implemented in local government bodies in the province.

The ultimate sufferers, he claimed, would be elected people of the local bodies, especially those who had no direct links with the ministers. He said efforts were being made to take a unified stand against the government’s move to restore the magistracy system.

When contacted, the convener of the nazims, Peshawar District Nazim Ghulam Ali, told Dawn that conspiracies were being hatched against the local government system, but nazims would take all possible steps for its defence.

The people, he said, had attached great expectations with the government but it had failed to deliver because, instead of initiating development schemes, the ministers had started leg-pulling of the elected people of the local bodies.

He said nazims of 24 districts of the province would meet at the residence of Nowshera District Nazim Daud Khan Khattak to discuss the prevailing situation and take a unified stand against what he called the provincial government’s interference in the district government system.

He said the nazims would meet President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani after the nazims’ convention to discuss with them importance of the district government system. He said they would ask the president for extending the district government’s tenure by one year.

The government, he said, had failed to overcome issues like price hike, law and order, unemployment, loadshedding and flour crisis and was trying to save its face by hatching conspiracies against the local government system.

He said the nazims in their meeting would take some important decisions to protect the local government system. He said elected representatives of various towns and tehsils would also meet to discuss the issues.

Mr Ali said a proposal about holding a nationwide convention of nazims in Islamabad would also be discussed on the occasion.

A town nazim said nazims and naib nazims of various towns and tehsils of the NWFP would meet on Aug 7 in Peshawar to take steps for protection of the local government system.

Our Nowshera Correspondent adds: The nazims’ meeting would be held in Nowshera at 10am on July 31.

Speaking at a press conference here, District Nazim Daud Khattak said all efforts against the local government system would be foiled.

He said a delegation of nazims would meet NWFP Chief Minister Amir Haider Khan Hoti to apprise him of problems of nazims and of the importance of the system.

He said the provincial government should focus on other priorities and let the local representatives complete their ongoing development schemes.