Empower local governments

The way our local governments work has been inconsistent. Attempts to devolve power to local governments during the Musharraf era yielded some good results. However, local governments have often been held back by provincial governments reluctant to share money and power with local representatives. This means that local governments don’t have much control over money and decision-making, making it hard for them to provide good public services. They have to rely a lot on the provincial and federal governments. Because they lack real independence, it’s tough to make them accountable and improve how they work at the district and tehsil levels.

Having local bodies where people can participate can make democracy stronger. But in Pakistan, these local governments haven’t really made citizens more powerful. To fix this, we need to make sure that local governments stick around, have regular elections, get enough money, and have the knowledge and skills to do their jobs better.

Adeeb Ali

Karachi