MUZAFFARABAD, Feb 8: Holding of the local bodies elections in Azad Kashmir in April, as announced by the government, has become impossible for want of the legislation for implementation of the devolution plan, Dawn has learnt.
The legislation has been delayed allegedly because the committee constituted to submit its recommendations on the LB system to be enforced in AJK has not finalised the draft law, which is to be approved by the federal government, sources said on Friday.
Due to certain reasons, particularly the Afghan war and escalation of tensions along the Line of Control, no progress could be made regarding the holding of the polls, they said.
The committee was constituted in September with Local Government and Rural Development Minister Raja Nisar Ahmed Khan as its chief. Its members are: Industries Minister Chaudhry Masood Khalid, Implementation Commission Chairman Raja Farooq Haider, ruling party Legislative Assembly members Raja Naseer and Sardar Tahir Anwar, opposition MLAs Chaudhry Pervez Ashraf and Munir Awan, LG&RD Secretary Sardar Riaz Ahmed and Local Bodies Election Commissioner Sardar Rahim Khan.
The committee’s initial report was discussed by the AJK cabinet on Nov 2, 2001, and it was decided that the draft law would be forwarded to the National Reconstruction Bureau for its opinion before the promulgation of the ordinance.
However, so far the committee has not finalised the draft law, sources said, but added that it was scheduled to meet on Feb 18 to settle the issue.
“Legislation will be done, most probably through a presidential ordinance, after the final approval of the draft law is received from Islamabad,” an official told this correspondent.
At the Nov 2 meeting, it was also decided that the delimitation of the LB constituencies would be started on Dec 1. However, the official said, the process would be initiated only after the legislation was done.
“The delimitation process will take at least two months and, in view of this situation, it is not possible to hold the polls in April.”
Some official quarters were of the view that the government was not serious in holding the LB polls under the devolution of power plan and it wanted to kill time till October, when a civilian set up would be installed in Pakistan after general elections.
The AJK government has not hidden its reservations regarding the implementation in Azad Kashmir of the devolution plan on the pattern of Pakistan, saying that it does not suit the small territory of Azad Kashmir and that it would render the government in Muzaffarabad without any administrative powers.
The absence of LB institutions has also hampered the implementation of the police reforms, which, among other things, envisage establishment of district public safety commissions, having representation of the councillors.
Sources said the military government, which was earlier very enthusiastic in getting the LB polls held in AJK under the new system, also seemed to have lost interest in the process.
The last LB elections in AJK were held in 1991. The government dissolved the LBs in August 1996.
Currently, government servants, mainly from the district management group, are holding the additional charge of the LB institutions’ administrators.