Govt asked not to abolish LG Act 2013

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Local Councils Association has warned to launch protest movement and move the court of law if the government did not take all the stakeholders into confidence before abolishing the Local Government Act 2013.

Speaking at a news conference here on Monday, Local Councils Association president Himayatullah Mayar, also former Mardan district nazim, rejected the government’s proposed decision to abolish Local Government Act 2013 and urged the prime minister to take notice of the situation.

He was flanked by Malakand District Nazim Syed Ahmad Ali Shah, Tor Ghar Nazim Dilroz Khan, Mansehra Nazim Syed Ghulam Habib, Swabi Nazim Haji Zahid Khan, Battagram Nazim Attaur Rehman Khan, Lakki Marwat Nazim Iqbal Hussain, Mansehra district parliamentary leader Altaf Khan, Hangu Tehsil Nazim Amir Ghani and others.Mayar said the abolition of the act was not acceptable to them.

He said the district nazims hailing from Awami National Party, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-F, Jamaat-e-Islami and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) were unanimous to oppose and resist the government’s move.He said they had already held meetings at the divisional level and would stage protests throughout the province and expand their movement to other provinces too, as he claimed that the nazims from other provinces supported them. By abolishing the 2013 Act, Mayar claimed, the district governments would end, which would add to the problems of people at local level and create the burden on the provincial metropolis as the people would have to move to Peshawar for the solution to their problems.

Similarly, people would have to reach the deputy commissioners and assistant commissioners for the solution to their problems. He said this was an irresponsible decision of the rulers, who had been claiming to bring about change and strengthen the local government system. Mayar said the provincial government had not provided a full budget to the district governments in recent years. He said the government should have consulted all the stakeholders before taking such drastic decisions.