Call to restore district councils in LG system

MANSEHRA: A former opposition leader in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Shahzada Gustasap Khan has demanded the government to restore the district councils in the local government system to strengthen democracy in the province.

“Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government has abolished the district councils in the newly introduced LG system in the province, which is tantamount to depriving people of their basic democratic rights,” he said while speaking at a presser here on Monday.

Gustasap, who has served as provincial minister several times in the past, said though tehsil councils were the key to ensuring civic services to people, the district council was such a platform where important issues could also be taken up to find their solutions. “The district nazim was having powers to enforce various sections of law to maintain the law and order situation but under the new LG system, these powers would lie with the deputy commissioners now,” he said.

The former opposition leader said bureaucracy was being empowered further through the new LG system, which was against the essence of democracy. He said that the government had failed to control the high inflation rate in the province, which deprived people of their three-time meals even.