This is apropos of your editorial 'Capital self-rule' (June 28), calling upon the federal government to introduce the local government system in Islamabad. On the face of it, the suggestion appears to be pretty good as it calls for the right to vote for the residents of Islamabad.
The right to vote is the pre-requisite of any democratic culture. Democracy, it must be remembered, is itself not the end, but rather it is a means to an end. The end must be good governance and a better quality of life for the people.
The experiment of the local government all over the country has, unfortunately, failed to deliver. There could be many reasons for this. To my mind, its major reason was that the civic bodies in the country under the local government system indulged in political bickering rather than facilitating the citizens. This gave rise to corruption and corrupt practices.
The urban area of Islamabad has a distinct characteristic. It is different from other capitals of the world. It is an entirely newly-built city on modern lines. As such it has a geography but no history. It is not only the most beautiful city in the country with numerous man-made and natural characteristics but it is also among the few beautiful capitals of the world.
The overwhelming majority of the inhabitants of urban Islamabad consist of non-locals. They are either employees of the federal government, its allied departments and the corporate sector or those from other parts of the country, doing a business of their own. Most of them are registered as voters in their home towns. This is evident from the fact that on festivals like Eid, the capital gives a deserted look for many days.
The present administrative control of the city by the bureaucracy has so far been successful in maintaining the high quality of civic amenities. It has, however, failed on the development side.
Its performance on this account is highly unsatisfactory as few residential areas could be developed during the past many decades. The Capital Development Authority (CDA) shoulders dual responsibility as the civic-cum-development body of the city. At a time, it is the development authority, water and sewerage authority and the municipal corporation.
In other words, it is an 'all-in-one' affair, doing much better than its counterparts in big cities like Karachi and Lahore that have been working under the local government system.
In my opinion, instead of democratising the CDA, the government must bring the city under the Rent Control Act. This will help in improving landlord-tenant relations and easing housing problems as the property mafia has been creating hurdles in its development. Now, with the establishment of a separate high court, the capital needs nothing more, except a more efficient administration to accelerate the on-going momentum.
F. SIDDIQUI
Islamabad
