Devolution plan to be discussed today

Published February 20, 2003

ISLAMABAD, Feb 19: The government and the National Reconstruction Bureau are quite anxious about some changes proposed by the provinces in the devolution plan and the Police Order 2002, says a source in the NRB.

The source told Dawn on Tuesday that the government was also worried about revival of the magistracy system in Punjab and the old police system in two districts of Sindh.

In order to discuss these issues, Prime Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali has directed the NRB to convene a meeting of the National Steering Committee on Devolution (NSCD), the source said. The committee is expected to meet on Feb 20, with NRB chairman Daniyal Aziz presiding.

The NSCD is charged with the task of steering implementation of decisions of the Prime Minister’s Committee on Devolution (PMCD).

An NRB official said the agenda of the meeting centres on consultation regarding devolution, the local government ordinance and the Police Order 2002.