The passage of the Bill may prove to be the biggest victory for the PML-N since it came to power in Punjab. —File

Punjab has rid itself of Gen Musharraf's local government system. On Thursday, the Punjab Assembly passed the Punjab Local Government (Amendment) Bill to wrap up the LG system. Although they were unable to prevent the passage of the bill, the nazims of Gen Musharraf's system went down fighting.

Their views generate sympathy and raise questions about the motives of the provincial government. They have some valid points, although the now defunct local government system did appear to offer the people little that was positive. A total of three sections have been amended. One section — 179-A — has been added to the Punjab Local Government Ordinance 2001. Under Section 179-A “...all zila councils, tehsil councils, town councils and union councils ... stand dissolved with immediate effect”. The section gives the government a maximum of 180 days to notify a date for holding local government elections. An amendment empowers the provincial government to appoint an 'election authority' for holding these polls. The head of the authority is to be appointed by the Punjab government.

Why the PML-N government had to come up with an election authority that goes against the 10th provision of the Charter of Democracy is anybody's guess. “Local bodies election[s] will be held on [a] party basis through provincial election commissions in respective provinces,” promised the CoD. While the PML-N may be constrained by its own power desires, the party is inevitably under fire for not practising what it upheld publicly. Regrettably, party leaders do not appear to have reflected on the criticism after having paved the way for a local government system of their choice. The losers are of course allies of the last regime but, more importantly, the PPP. Under the guidance of the president and the prime minister, the PPP supported the amendment bill but “with a heavy heart”. One disgruntled PPP member of the assembly described the bill as “poison” for the party. On the other hand, the passage of the Local Government (Amendment) Bill may prove to be the biggest victory for the PML-N since it came to power in Punjab in the last general election.