NOWSHERA, July 31: The district nazims across the province on Thursday threatened to launch countrywide movement if the government took any ‘illegal’ step to destabilise the local government system.

Addressing a joint press conference after their meeting in Kund Rest House in Khairabad, Nowshera on Thursday, district nazims said that federal and provincial governments had two-thirds majority in the national and provincial assemblies and could abolish the local government system through legal and constitutional way.

They threatened that any unlawful and unconstitutional action would be resisted with full force. They said that nazims would move court to get justice.

Addressing the joint press conference Nowshera Nazim Daud Khan Khattak, Mardan Nazim Himayatullah Mayar, Peshawar Nazim Ghulam Ali, Shangla Nazim Ibadullah Khan, Haripur Nazim Yousaf Ayub, Abbottabad Nazim Haidar Zaman Baba Jee, Mansehra Nazim Sardar Yousaf, Kohistan Nazim Saifur Rahman, D.I. Khan Nazim Haji Rauf, Swabi Nazim Shehram Khan Tarkai and Karak Nazim Rehmat Salam Khattak said any decision by the parliament would be welcomed.

They said that any move by the provincial government to snatch administrative, financial and political powers from the elected representatives including powers to impose section 144 and transfers an postings in devolved departments would be challenged in court.

The meeting also decided to hold a “Local Bodies Convention” in Peshwar on August 10. The union, tehsil, and district council nazims and naib nazims would be invited to the conference.

After that an inter-provincial convention would be held in Islamabad which would be participated by 106 district nazims and naib nazims, they added.

They said that LG system was protected in the 1973 Constitution. They said that local government system had full support of the masses as they had easy accesses to approach their elected representatives and get resolved their problems at doorstep.

They said the members of the national and provincial assemblies should make legislation, adding it was the job of the LG government representatives to repair or construct roads, streets and decide transfers and postings.

They nazims also paid tribute to President Pervez Musharraf, saying that he had implemented the Constitution of 1973 in its true spirit and made it strong and stable.

They said that Chief Minister Ameer Haider Hoti had assured them that the local government system would not be abolished but regretted that now the provincial and federal ministers Haji Ghulam Bilour and Bashir Ahmad Bilour were out to abolish the system. They said both the brothers were adding to miseries of the government.