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                        <title>The Express Tribune</title>
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                        <description>The Express Tribune keeps you up to date with all the latest happenings from Pakistan and across the world!</description>
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			<title>All polling stations for Nov 5 by-polls declared ‘sensitive’</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2443357/all-polling-stations-for-nov-5-by-polls-declared-sensitive</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2443357/all-polling-stations-for-nov-5-by-polls-declared-sensitive#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 27 Oct 23 20:34:47 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Our Correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Sindh]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2443357</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Several positions of UC chairman, vice chairman will be contested]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[All 121 polling stations in Karachi set for the local government by-elections on November 5 have been officially designated as sensitive, with some being categorised as highly sensitive. 

A security threat assessment for these by-elections in Karachi has determined that none of the polling stations can be classified as normal. In total, there are 209 polling stations in Sindh.

Out of the 121 polling stations in Karachi, seven are designated for both men and women, and 107 are joint polling stations. 

Among these, 42 have been marked as highly sensitive, while 79 are considered sensitive due to the potential for clashes among supporters of rival political parties. These polling stations will collectively have 482 polling booths.

The by-elections in Karachi will involve 121 presiding officers, 482 assistant presiding officers, 482 polling officials, and 121 naib qasid (office attendants).

Also read:&nbsp;Sindh faces shortage of polling staff

The by-elections will cover various positions, including chairman, vice chairman, and general members in different union committees across multiple districts of Karachi. Several positions, such as the chairman of UC 3 in the Mauripur Town of the Keamari district and the vice chairman of UC 6 in Saddar Town of South district, will be contested.

A total of 206,686 registered voters are eligible to participate in these union council by-elections, comprising 94,415 female and 112,271 male voters. 

The by-elections encompass 131 seats throughout Sindh, with ten of them dedicated to general members, vice-chairmen, and chairmen in Karachi. 

Among the 131 candidates vying for these seats, 54 are from Karachi. Additionally, 54 seats in various categories have already been won uncontested by candidates, including one in Karachi, Sindh.

&nbsp;

Published in The Express Tribune, October 28th, 2023.]]>
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			<title>LG representatives to take oath on Jan 14: notification</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/1026415/lg-representatives-to-take-oath-on-jan-14-notification</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/1026415/lg-representatives-to-take-oath-on-jan-14-notification#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 12 Jan 16 19:07:26 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[our.correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Sindh]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=1026415</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[ECP also determined the number of reserved seats for women, youth, labour and minorities in each council]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) announced on Tuesday that the oath-taking ceremony of newly-elected local bodies representatives will be held on January 14. According to a notification, the chairmen, vice-chairmen and councilors of union councils will be administered oath in their respective areas either by Additional District and Sessions Judges, Returning Officers or Presiding Officers.


According to the provincial ECP record, there are a total of 1,175 union councils (rural areas), 351 union committees (urban areas), nine municipal corporations, 36 municipal committees, 148 town committees and 1,175 districts and one metropolitan corporation in 29 districts of Sindh.

Tik tok on the clock: Will 2016 be the year devolution truly kicks in?

Meanwhile, the ECP also determined the number of reserved seats for women, youth, labour and minorities in each council, but said it would ‘shortly’ announce the schedule for election on those seats. According to the ECP, 33 per cent women will be elected on reserved seats in each council while five per cent will be the quota for youth, women and minorities’ seats.

Sharing details about the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation, provincial election commissioner Tanveer Zaki said there will be 308  council members which include 209 directly elected chairmen of union committees, 69 women on reserved seats and ten members of minorities, labour and youth.  Regarding the Karachi district council, Zaki said it comprises 38 union councils, which means 38 directly-elected members, 13 women members, and two members each on labour, minority, and youth seats.  “We will soon announce the date for the election on reserved seats,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 13th, 2016.]]>
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			<title>Political matters: ‘MQM received biggest people’s mandate in history’</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/1006433/political-matters-mqm-received-biggest-peoples-mandate-in-history</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/1006433/political-matters-mqm-received-biggest-peoples-mandate-in-history#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 08 Dec 15 19:09:07 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[our.correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Sindh]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=1006433</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Party plans to seek help of Sindh Assembly and judiciary to empower the mayor]]>
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				<![CDATA[Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) on Tuesday claimed that the party has received the biggest people's mandate in history.

Addressing the press conference at Lal Qila Ground, MQM leader Haider Abbas Rizvi said that the party had rejected the 2013 local government system because the elected mayors of cities in Sindh have no powers under it.

"We had opposed it in the assembly, but were unable to have it removed," Rizvi said. According to him, it is a black law that empowers the bureaucracy and weakens the local government system, and the major reason behind the imposition of such a law is to retain provincial control over departments of local government.

A decade later, MQM on track to sweep LG polls in Karachi

Article 140-A of the Constitution not only ensures that provincial government builds local government departments, but also transfers financial and political powers to the elected representatives, said Rizvi. Despite this, the local government system of 2013 was imposed, he pointed out.

The party leader he said that such a powerless system is not acceptable to the people of Karachi because they do not want their mayor to be a 'beggar'. Rizvi added that MQM will go to Sindh Assembly and the judiciary to empower the mayor. Central executive council incharge Waseem Akhtar appealed to the Supreme Court to take suo moto notice and to return the powers of local government representatives as stated in Article 140-A.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 9th, 2015.]]>
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			<title>The whispered warning</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/1004570/the-whispered-warning</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/1004570/the-whispered-warning#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 05 Dec 15 18:17:32 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[fahd.husain]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Opinion]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=1004570</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Today is the first day of an era in which the entire democratic superstructure is finally in place in Pakistan]]>
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				<![CDATA[What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from. — TS Eliot

And so ends the final round of the local government elections in Pakistan, an achievement in itself whose credit would mostly go to the Supreme Court. Had the judges not browbeaten the provincial governments into holding them, the mega electoral exercise would most certainly have not unfolded.

Today then is the first day of an era in which the entire democratic superstructure is finally in place in Pakistan. It signifies the end of a period dominated completely by the federal and provincial governments, and the start of a process that should theoretically lead to grass-root empowerment.

Joy, relief for winners

This much is obvious. What is slightly less so is the fine print at the bottom, which signals a warning to all and sundry: you are now entering unchartered territory where rising expectations of the electorate can lead to all kinds of unforeseen, unpredictable and perhaps even uncontrollable consequences. Let’s dive right into the fine print.

The theory of ‘Social Contract’ was an important facet of European political and intellectual discourse from the mid-17th to the 19th centuries. Titans like Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Jean-Jacque Rousseau and Immanuel Kant delved into it in their writings, which in turn became the foundations of the modern political structure prevalent in democratic societies. Simply put, the social contract states that people surrender their natural given rights to the ruler in return for the protection of their rights. In modern terms, this would mean giving the government the right to make laws and the right to enforce these laws, in return for which the government provides us basic rights that allow us to live orderly and fulfilling lives.

Fine. But how does this lesson in political science connect to the just-completed local government elections?

PML-N leads in Punjab with 560 seats, followed by independents with 513



The explanation is circular. Today, formally, Pakistan is a complete democracy. From the Union Council to parliament and the Senate, all people holding the power to make decisions have a public mandate to do so. The judiciary is independent and the media unfettered. Every nut and bolt holding the democratic structure in place, is in place. The social contract is drawn up, and signed.

And now it begins. So we the people say to the government: you tax us, so in return give us the services and protections that you have promised. It is a pure and simple give-and-take. If there is a discrepancy between what the government takes, and what it provides in return, this constitutes a classic ‘performance deficit’. This deficit can lead to major social and political upheavals.

Dar lures provinces to justify Rs40b mini budget

And deficit there is. Protection of life and property? Nope. Provision of education for all children? Nope. A service-oriented police? Nope. Justice and protection against abuse by the State? Nope. Due process and the rule of the law that does not discriminate between the rich and the poor, the mighty and the weak? Nope.

So Mr Ishaq Dar when you tax me, you are actually robbing me blind. But now it’s not just Mr Dar who will shoulder the burden of this performance deficit; now the mayors, and the chairmen and their deputies too will face the music. The cities, town and villages that we inhabit are a mess; broken infrastructure, imaginary sanitation, poor municipal facilities and a general sense of decay all around us. The villains are obvious: between them, the prime minister, chief minister and the mayor are responsible for making my life and that of my family better, but they are not — at least not in the true sense. What do I mean by that?

Let’s state the obvious first: on a purely human level, the average Pakistani is far worse off than, say an average Briton. Both, however, pay taxes (or are required to by law). This being the case, is it just the Pakistani citizen’s divine misfortune that he or she has been born in a land that is governed by rulers who are unwilling to keep up their side of the social contract? You as a citizen have transferred your natural born rights to the rulers by giving them a mandate, but in return you will only get a partial delivery of service. Your child may never get the education promised by the Constitution. This deprivation will ensure he will live a disadvantaged life, and will never ever be able to rise to the fullest potential he was born with. Multiply this tragedy to cover the entire population of kids that are out of schools and you have a future that is burdened by a nation that will be a burden on this world. Why? Because one side is not fulfilling its part of the contract.

So, tomorrow when I see trash lying on the road, I will curse the mayor. Tomorrow when I see little kids begging on intersections, I will curse the chief minister. Tomorrow when I see federal money being spent on bricks and mortar instead of flesh and bones, I will curse the prime minister. I will curse them because they rule me in the name of a social contract that now seems like daylight robbery. I will curse them because they rule me in the name of a Constitution that clearly has limited relevance to my life and that of my children. I will curse them because they rule me in the name of morals and principles rooted in my great religion that reformed a backward society within one generation and transformed it into a global superpower. I will curse them because they cover themselves in religious garbs but keep this society illiterate, backward and archaic. I will curse them for their broken promises, their lies and their betrayal.

All hail the successful completion of our electoral cycle. In the end, however, lies the beginning. The social contract is fluttering in the wind like a tattered flag — ripped, torn, shredded yet defiant. The PM, CM and Mayor might want to take a break from patting their backs to read through the fine print.

It is whispering a warning.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 6th, 2015.

Like Opinion &amp; Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.]]>
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			<title>Shireen Mazari defends daughter's decision to vote for PML-N over PTI</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/1001236/shireen-mazari-defends-daughters-decision-to-vote-for-pml-n-over-pti</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/1001236/shireen-mazari-defends-daughters-decision-to-vote-for-pml-n-over-pti#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov 15 13:04:34 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[web.desk]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category><category><![CDATA[Punjab]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=1001236</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[PTI central information secretary says democracy means free choice]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Central Information Secretary Shireen Mazari lashed out at critics who questioned her daughter's decision to vote for the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz in the Islamabad local body elections held today.

“Abusing me because my daughter cast her vote on her choice is fascistic. I am PTI but it does not obligate my family. Democracy means free choice,” Mazari said on Twitter.

https://twitter.com/ShireenMazari1/status/671282162457583617?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Mazari’s daughter, Imaan Hazir, caused an uproar after she tweeted that she voted for the PML-N.

Polling underway for Islamabad LG polls

“Just an FYI: I voted for minorities and PML-N,” Imaan said on her Twitter account.

https://twitter.com/ImaanZHazir/status/671262674764869632?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Further, Mazari’s daughter lashed out at PTI supporters saying, “You converted Islamabad into a public toilet for 'democracy' and you’re abusing my mother because I exercised my right to vote?"

https://twitter.com/ImaanZHazir/status/671283896684822528

Imaan also tweeted a picture of her after casting her vote and said her vote was "very different" from her father's.

https://twitter.com/ImaanZHazir/status/671264153747783680

Hamza Ali Abbasi turns social media into a war zone

This is not the first time, Mazari has had to face ‘abuse’ after her daughter’s tweets. Earlier this month, Imaan tweeted in favour of National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq leading to a “stream of abuse.”

https://twitter.com/ImaanZHazir/status/663590115328008193?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

https://twitter.com/ImaanZHazir/status/663657303497973760?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Imaan also defended PML-N supporters saying she and her mother have never been abused by them. "I criticise PML-N as well but have never been abused by its supporters. Nor have they abused my mother," she said.

https://twitter.com/ImaanZHazir/status/663659652069130240?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Polling for the first ever local government (LG) elections in the federal capital was held today.]]>
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			<title>Pay day: Rs22.8 million announced for Batkhela TMA salaries</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/997070/pay-day-rs22-8-million-announced-for-batkhela-tma-salaries</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/997070/pay-day-rs22-8-million-announced-for-batkhela-tma-salaries#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 23 Nov 15 13:01:30 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[our.correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=997070</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[LG minister announces special funds to support local bodies’ in future]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Senior Minister for Local Government Inayatullah Khan announced a grant of Rs22.8 million on Monday to Batkhela Tehsil Municipal Administration (TMA). This money will be used for employee salaries and other liabilities.

According to a handout issued on Monday, the announcement was made at a meeting with TMA employees, arranged by former MNA Bakhtiar Maani, in Malakand. On this occasion, Secretary of Local Council Board Syed Zafar Ali Shah, LG officials and TMA employees of Batkhela and Dargai were present. The minister informed participants Malakand district council would receive Rs780.8 million as development budget this year and a portion of this amount had already been released.

Promising progress

The LG minister disclosed a special endowment fund with Rs50 million was being established to support local bodies in financial crises in the future.



“Special grants are only scheduled for a period of three years,” said Inayatullah. He added local bodies should use this period to chalk out fund raising techniques to bear their own expenditure in future.

Inayatullah directed authorities to implement the decision of one-step promotion in LG departments. He told TMA Batkhela to process the case of establishing a modern bus terminal in the area.

“A technical wing was established within the department,” said Inayatullah, adding this created posts for a chief engineer, engineers and sub-engineers. “60 sub-engineers were recently appointed for this purpose.”

While criticising the poor performance of TMAs, Khan said anti-encroachment drives must be sped up and he would check on the campaign’s results after a month.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 24th,  2015.

 ]]>
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			<title>Voices that matter: Scheduled caste Hindus emerge as new power brokers in Thar</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/988884/voices-that-matter-scheduled-caste-hindus-emerge-as-new-power-brokers-in-thar</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/988884/voices-that-matter-scheduled-caste-hindus-emerge-as-new-power-brokers-in-thar#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 10 Nov 15 20:01:10 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Hafeez Tunio]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Sindh]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=988884</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[For the first time, over 500 Hindus are contesting direct elections]]>
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				<![CDATA[Oh how the tables have turned. The scheduled caste Hindus, who have for centuries been disregarded and ignored even by members of the Hindu community, are now the strongest contenders for local government posts in most parts of Tharparkar. These candidates, a large majority belonging to the scheduled castes, are being wooed by major political parties who seem to have realised the power of their vote bank.


According to the election commission's statistics, Tharparkar is the only district in Sindh and even in Pakistan for that matter, where scheduled-caste Hindus are contesting direct polls in the local government elections, making their own destiny. Over 500 Hindu candidates will contest the elections in union councils and district councils on November 19.

Sindh LG polls: Election commission amends schedule for second phase

Wooing the forgotten

Political parties, who have until now sidelined these marginalised communities, are running after them and have even allotted most of the seats to them. Be it the Pakistan Peoples Party or former chief minister Ghulam Arbab Rahim's panel, the Hindu candidates dominate the entire election process, contesting for the slots of chairperson, vice-chairperson and general councilors. "Around 1,000 candidates are contesting the elections, over half of whom are Hindus," said a polling officer of the area.

There are 490,499 votes registered in six tehsils of the district, including Mithi, Diplo, Islamkot, Nangarparkar, Chachro and Dahli. The toughest competition is expected in Dahli and Chachro where the Arbab Ghulam Rahim panel, which belongs to the Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz, has formed an alliance with the Ghousia Jamaat of Shah Mehmood Qureshi. "Diplo is Arbab Ghulam Rahim's hometown, where interestingly, he has fielded many members of the Menghwar, Bheel and Kolhi communities," said Aakash Santorai, a senior journalist from the area.

Arbab group to stage sit-in in Tharparkar from November 10

The PPP, too, has given priority in allotting the tickets to lower-caste Hindus, who have now started considering themselves equal to upper-caste Thakur Rajputs. The latter have always contested the elections and been the undisputed rulers of the area. Chetan Mal, 50, will contest the elections for district council member in UC Malnahor Vena of Mithi tehsil. With no political background, Mal was surprised when the PPP gave him a ticket for the elections. "In our area, only Thakurs can contest the election. I will be first Menghwar in my family to enter politics," he told The Express Tribune.  His opponent, Saghir Menghwar, who belongs to the Arbab Rahim panel, shares a similar story. In this particular union council, two Muslims and five Hindus are contesting the direct elections.

Politically unique

Politically, Tharparkar is a unique area of Sindh. After the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, the PPP swept the 2008 elections across Sindh, but faced a historic defeat in this district. During General Musharraf's tenure, there was only one PPP union council nazim in Mithi. Meanwhile, 43 UCs were won by the Arbab Ghulam Rahim panel and his coalition partners. "Arbab Ghulam Rahim had used state machinery and rigged the polls. In his tenure, there was no concept of security at polling stations. Now, the PPP will decide the fate of Thar," said PPP MPA Khatumal Jeewan, adding that since more than 50 per cent of the population of Thar was Hindu, the party's chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, had decided to give them more seats.

For his part, Arbab Lutufullah of the Dr Rahim group said that the PPP had already rigged the polls by changing the constituency in their favour and shifting the polling stations to their dominated areas. "People still remember Dr Rahim who established a network of roads in Thar and provided drinking water to them. We demand the deployment of the army."

According to the election commission, there are a total 64 union councils in the district where 490,499 voters are registered.  The number of male and female voters stands at 267,977 and 222,522 respectively. The officials said that 614 polling stations have been set up in the district.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 11th, 2015.]]>
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			<title>Diverse rules: Local government laws vary across Pakistan</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/974722/diverse-rules-local-government-laws-vary-across-pakistan</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/974722/diverse-rules-local-government-laws-vary-across-pakistan#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 18 Oct 15 05:49:13 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Imran Adnan]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Punjab]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=974722</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[In Punjab, voters will directly elect members of union council,municipal committees]]>
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				<![CDATA[A comparative study of local government laws shows that different government structures would be put in place in four provinces.  


The study conducted by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Pakistan compares the laws in all for four provinces.

Except for the village/neighbourhood councils in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, election to union councils in other provinces are held on party basis. Separate councils are provided for urban and rural areas.

Read: Local governments: ECP’s reply sought on plea against vote schedule

In Punjab, voters will directly elect members of union council or municipal committees, depending on their area of residence. The law establishes union councils as the lowest tier of government. In some urban areas (with relatively low population), there will be municipal committees.

After the 2015 amendment to the law, voters in a union council will cast two ballots – one for the chairman and vice chairman and the other for ward councillor. The union council chairman, vice-chairman and six ward councillors will form the electoral college for seats reserved for women, youth and minorities. In municipal committees, voters will cast a single ballot to pick a representative.

In municipal and metropolitan councils, union council members will form the electoral college for election to these bodies. Reserved seats on these bodies will be allotted to parties in proportion to their strength.

Read: Local self-government: Women less than 2% of general seat candidates

In Sindh, voters will cast a single ballot for a panel contesting for the union council (rural) and union committee (urban) membership. The winning panel will get all nine seats in the council or committee concerned. Independent candidates are required to get together in panels of nine to contest elections.

Union council and committee members will elect members for the municipal, district and metropolitan (in Karachi) corporations.

The election for mayors, deputy mayor, chairman and vice-chairman will not be held on secret ballot. Instead, people will be elected to these offices through a show of hands. For reserved seats, there will be direct election to union committees/councils seats and indirect election on higher tiers.

In the KP, election to the village/neighbourhood councils (lowest tier) is held on non-party basis. Election to higher tiers is on party basis.

Voters cast five ballots for seats in village and neighbourhood councils and an additional ballot for the council at the next-tier.

For reserved seats, there is direct election in village/neighbourhood council and allocation on the basis on party’s strength on all higher tiers.

Candidates who poll the highest and second-highest number of votes in the village and neighbourhood councils become nazim and naib nazim, respectively. Nazims and naib nazims for all other tiers will be elected by members concerned.

In Balochistan, rural voters may cast two ballots for union and district councils members, respectively, and urban voters a single ballot for the representative at union committee. Indirect election is provided for all reserved seats.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 18th, 2015.]]>
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			<title>Delimitation dilemmas: SHC issues notices on Sindh govt’s plea against new UCs</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/973010/delimitation-dilemmas-shc-issues-notices-on-sindh-govts-plea-against-new-ucs</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/973010/delimitation-dilemmas-shc-issues-notices-on-sindh-govts-plea-against-new-ucs#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 14 Oct 15 21:22:15 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[our.correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Sindh]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=973010</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[LG secretary says election commission violated Section 10, Schedule-I, Part-C of the Sindh Local Government Act]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The Sindh High Court (SHC) issued on Wednesday notices to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on the provincial government's petition challenging the proposal to create new constituencies ahead of the local government (LG) elections.


The LG secretary had approached the court challenging the proposals made by the provincial election commission to the chief secretary to create over 90 new UCs in 15 districts by shifting urban areas into rural UCs and wards ahead of the LG polls.

Advocate Farooq H Naek, who represented the provincial government, said the election commission made these proposals in a letter sent to the chief secretary on September 23 and September 29.

Read: Ongoing plea: Lawyer challenges dual nationals’ right to contest LG elections

According to the LG secretary, the election commission has violated provisions of Section 10, Schedule-I, Part-C of the Sindh Local Government Act, whereby the population of a union council should be between 10,000 and 15,000. In case of the newly proposed union councils, Mithiani has a population of 22,199, Khair Shah has 18,267 people, Abdul Hasan 17,690, he said. Many other UCs have been newly created and certain areas excluded or included in the limits of councils are a violation of Section 10(1) of the Act, he added.

The secretary felt that the proposal will disturb the election process and subsequently delay the LG elections scheduled to be held on October 30, November 19 and December 3 in different parts of Sindh. Due to the creation of new councils, alterations and the addition of areas in certain councils, the contesting candidates will lose their interest, thus many areas will have no candidates, he said, adding that the Sindh election commission had not obtained formal approval of the chief election commissioner.

Naek argued that such an exercise, if not stopped, will serve to disenfranchise the people of that particular area and deprive them from the right of electing their own LG representative. Besides, he argued, the new proposed constituencies are also in blatant disregard to the delimitation act since no territorial and population compactness as well as public convenience has been considered. The commission has not only violated the court judgment but has started fresh delimitation in constituencies, which are not even disputed under the previous litigation, he said. It has carved out new constituencies without having permission of the court, he added.

The court was pleaded to declare the proposal unlawful and liable to be struck down. It was also requested to suspend the operation of the proposals until the final decision. The bench issued notices to the chief election commissioner and others for Thursday (today). A notice was also issued to the deputy attorney-general to file comments of the ECP and provincial election commission chiefs.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 15th, 2015.]]>
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			<title>LG polls: ECP finalises ROs for Punjab, Sindh</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/944899/lg-polls-ecp-finalises-ros-for-punjab-sindh</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/944899/lg-polls-ecp-finalises-ros-for-punjab-sindh#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 26 Aug 15 01:44:33 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[our.correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=944899</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Set to issue election programme for the first phase in the two provinces today.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday finalised returning officers (ROs) who would be supervising the long-delayed local government (LG) polls process in Punjab and Sindh.

The poll supervisory body declined the requests of the provincial governments for replacement of some of the ROs, an official handout issued by the ECP media cell said.

“The election commission has declined the requests of the provincial government/provincial election commissioners (PECs) Punjab and Sindh for replacements of district returning officers (DROs), returning officers (ROs) and assistant returning officers (AROs) and directed that proposal for any change if so required in the public interest may be sent to this commission for approval with full justification and cogent reasons.”

The ECP would be issuing election programme for the first phase of LG polls in both the provinces on Wednesday (today). The top electoral body in its tentative schedule had already announced the date of polling for all the three phases. In the first phase a total of 20 districts, 12 in Punjab and 8 in Sindh, would go for polls on October 31. Elections for the second and third phases will be held on November 19 and December 20 respectively,

The ECP also said that DROs, ROs and AROs have been asked to accomplish their duties in accordance with the provision of law and maintain impartiality.

“Severe action will be taken against those DROs/ROs/AROs who avoid to perform this national task,” said the statement citing the poll commission’s directions to the ROs.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 26th, 2015. ]]>
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			<title>ECP finalises ROs for LG polls in Sindh, Punjab</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/944651/ecp-finalises-ros-for-lg-polls-in-sindh-punjab</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/944651/ecp-finalises-ros-for-lg-polls-in-sindh-punjab#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 25 Aug 15 16:35:21 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[irfan.ghauri]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=944651</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Declines request by provinces to change ROs, to notify first phase of polls on Wednesday]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday finalised the returning officers (ROs) who would be supervising the much-delayed local government elections in Sindh and Punjab.

"District Returning Officers (DROs), Returning Officers (ROs) and Assistant Returning Officers (AROs) have already been appointed by the Election Commission and they have been asked to accomplish their duties in accordance with the provision of law and rules and maintain neutrality and impartiality."

According to a statement issued on Tuesday, the ECP declined the requests of provincial governments to replace some of the ROs.

“Election Commission has declined the requests of the Provincial Government / Provincial Election Commissioners (PECs) of Punjab and Sindh for replacements of DROs, ROs and AROs and has directed that proposal for any change if so required in the public interest may be sent to this Commission for approval with full justification and cogent reasons,” the statement said.

Meanwhile, the electoral body had last week issued a proposed schedule for the first phase of local body polls in both provinces.

In the tentative schedule, dates for the first phase of polling had been set as October 31.

Read: Govt urged to hold polls according to SC schedule

In the first phase, a total of 20 districts: 12 in Punjab and eight in Sindh would go for the polls on October 31.

Elections for second and third phases will be held on November 19 and December 20 respectively, according to the proposed schedule which had been changed a number of times in the past.

According to the ECP statement, district returning officers (DROs), returning officers (ROs) and assistant returning officers (AROs) have been appointed, and asked to accomplish their duties in accordance with the provision of law, and maintain neutrality and impartiality.

“Severe action will be taken against those DROs, ROs and AROs who avoid performing this national task.”]]>
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			<title>Gearing up for LG polls: Zardari to arrive in Karachi on Saturday</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/942575/gearing-up-for-lg-polls-zardari-to-arrive-in-karachi-on-saturday</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/942575/gearing-up-for-lg-polls-zardari-to-arrive-in-karachi-on-saturday#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 21 Aug 15 18:43:09 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Hafeez Tunio]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Sindh]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=942575</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Zardari will consult with party leaders on the upcoming local government polls]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) co-chairman and former president Asif Ali Zardari will travel to Karachi on Saturday.

According to a party spokesperson, Zardari will consult with party leaders on the upcoming local government polls.

He is also expected to convene a meeting of party leaders. The meeting is expected to be attended by PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari among a host of senior leaders.

Earlier on Friday, the Election Commission of Pakistan issued a notification delaying the first phase of local government elections in Sindh by 19 days.

The notification stated that the provincial government had requested to re-consider holding the first phase of elections on October 12 owing to floods in the province and with the date of the election coinciding with Muharram 10.

Earlier on Wednesday, the ECP had announced that the first phase of local government polls in 12 districts of Punjab and 13 districts of Sindh will be held on October 12. That announcement came after criticism by the Supreme Court of Pakistan over the commission’s failure to fulfill constitutional obligations.

Zardari had left the country in June as controversy flared following his remarks against army during a party event in Islamabad.

There were reports that the former president would not return, with Bilawal taking over day to day affairs of PPP. However, PPP leaders had rejected reports of Zardari's self-exile, insisting that the co-chairman will return to lead the party.]]>
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			<title>ECP delays first phase of LG polls by 19 days after requests from Punjab, Sindh</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/942415/ecp-delays-first-phase-of-lg-polls-by-19-days-after-requests-from-punjab-sindh</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/942415/ecp-delays-first-phase-of-lg-polls-by-19-days-after-requests-from-punjab-sindh#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 21 Aug 15 16:53:03 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[irfan.ghauri]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=942415</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Punjab and Sindh say floods, law and order situation owing to Muharram the reason for seeking delay in polls]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) said on Friday that the first phase of local government polls were being delayed by 19 days till October 31 owing to floods in Punjab and Sindh.

The ECP issued a notification on Friday stating that the provincial governments had requested to re-consider holding the first phase of elections on October 12.

According to the notification, both provinces had requested the delay due to “flood situation, involvement of district administration and law enforcement agencies in rehabilitation process and maintenance of law and order during Muharram.”

Read: Local polls: Petition against delimitations referred to CJ again

Earlier on Wednesday, the ECP had announced that the first phase of local government polls in 12 districts of Punjab and 13 districts of Sindh will be held on October 12. That announcement came after criticism by the Supreme Court of Pakistan over the commission’s failure to fulfill constitutional obligations.

Interestingly, barely any of the districts where first phase of polls are scheduled to be held in Punjab and Sindh, have been affected by floods.

However, ECP acquiesced to the demand of the provincial governments and issued revised schedule for the first phase whereby polls will be held on October 31 instead of October 12 as announced earlier.

Read: Gearing for elections: ‘ECP must take note of PML-N’s gerrymandering’

First Phase

According to the revised schedule, the new schedule will be announced on August 26, while notifications to ROs will be issued on September 1.  Candidates can file their nomination papers between September 7 and 11.

The 12 districts which would go to polls in the first phase in Punjab include; Lodhran and Vehari in Multan division, Okara and Pakpattan in Sahiwal division, Bahwalnagar in Bahwalpur division, Faisalabad in Faisalabad division, Bhakkar in Sargodha, Lahore, Kasur and Nankana Sahib in Lahore division, Gujraat in Gujranwala division and Chakwal in Rawalpindi division.

In the revised schedule only eight districts in Sindh would go to polls in the first phase. These include Khairpur, Sukkur, Ghotki in Sukkur division and Larkana, Shikarpur, Qamber Shahdadkot, Jacobabad and Kashmore Kandhkot in Larkana division. In the last schedule 13 districts of Sindh were supposed to go for polls in the first phase.

Returning officers in these districts in both provinces will issue public notices of schedule on September 1. The intending candidates would be required to submit nominations from September 7 to 11, and polling will take place on October 31 after completing the scrutiny and other procedures.

Second Phase

According to ECP’s new notification, polling for second phase of LG elections will be held in another 12 districts of Punjab and 15 in Sindh on November 19 - as per the previously announced schedule.

Districts in Punjab which will go for polls in the second phase include Khanewal in Multan, Sahiwal in Sahiwal division, Toba Taik Singh and Chiniot in Fasialabad division, Sargodha and Mianwali in Sargodha division, Sheikupura in Lahore division, Gujranawal, Hafizabad and Mundi Bahauddin in Gujranwala division, Attock and Jehlum in Rawalpindi division.

In Sindh, districts Matiari, Tando Allahyar, Tando Muhammad Khan, Thatta, Sujawal, Badin, Hyderabad, Dadu and Jamshoro in Hyderabad division will go for polls. Other districts in Sindh that would go for polls in second phase include; Shaheed Benazirabad, Naushehro Feroz and Sanghar in Shaheed Benazirabad division, Mirpurkhas, Umerkot and Tharparker in Mirpurkhas division.

Third Phase

Polling for the third phase of LG polls will be held on December 3. Twelve districts in Punjab and six in Sindh-mainly Karachi would go for polls in the third phase.

Districts in Punjab where elections will be held in third phase include Layyah, Rajanpur, D. G Khan and Muzzafargarh in D G Khan division, Jhang in Faisalabad division, Khushab in Sargodha division, Rawalpindi in Rawalpindi division, Sialkot and Narowal in Gujranwala division, Rahimyar Khan and Bhawalpur in Bahawalpur division and Multan in Multan division.

In Sindh, Karachi division which is divided into six districts: Karachi West, Karachi East, Karachi South, Karachi Central, Korangi and Malir would go for polls in the third and last phase.

ECP and the two provinces have missed many deadlines and postponed polls a number of times during the past 6 years. Polls are due in these two biggest provinces in terms of population size since 2009.

Supreme Court has been pursuing the case of local government polls in the country for the past many years. On court’s pressure Balochistan went for LG polls in December 2013 and KPK in May this year.

During the previous hearing of the case apex court bench headed by incumbent CJP Justice Jawaad S Khawja this Tuesday reprimanded the electoral body for its failure to hold local government elections and postponing them a number of times during the past six years.

After Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry retired as chief justice of Pakistan, Justice Khawaja has been actively pursuing the case and leading the bench which is hearing different petitions seeking court’s directives to force provincial governments hold LG polls.

SC in its directives passed in March this year had ordered LG polls in Punjab and Sindh by September 20.That deadline has been missed already.

Some legal experts and political activists believe that Punjab and Sindh provincial governments were never willing to hold the LG polls in the near future as they are waiting for the retirement of Justice Jawwad S Khawaja.]]>
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			<title>Final round: PTI kits up for city’s LG throne</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/941986/final-round-pti-kits-up-for-citys-lg-throne</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/941986/final-round-pti-kits-up-for-citys-lg-throne#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 20 Aug 15 18:27:19 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[our.correspondents]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[K-P]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=941986</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Party set to reign supreme in nine districts of province.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[With the reserved seats election process completed across the province, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf looks set to tighten its grip over local governments in nine districts.


Imran Khan and Co’s territorial share also includes the helm of power in Peshawar, PTI will form governments in three towns of the city and also bring in its own district nazim. So far, three PTI leaders have emerged as potential candidates for the post. Younis Zaheer, Malik Qasim Ali Shah and Malik Arbab Asim have been the subject of a heated debate within party circles.

According to insiders, most of the senior leaders have taken their pick with Zaheer. Hearsay of him being a dual national was rejected by the party’s central organiser Jahangir Khan Tareen. However, there exists a camp of people like Minister for Public Health Engineering Shah Farman, who believe Zaheer’s running of a law firm in the United Kingdom might make the situation a little sticky. The issue will certainly be on the cards when the aforementioned hopefuls, and 38 others vying for nazim and naib nazim seats in other districts, will be interviewed at K-P House, Islamabad on Friday.

More awaited

With talks under way in numerous districts, the party’s scope of influence within the lower echelon of government will only increase.

Read: Lead up to local government polls: PTI saw its chance in PPP’s fall, says Shah Mehmood

According to statistics tabulated by The Express Tribune, PTI is leading the line in Peshawar, Nowshera, DI Khan, Haripur, Abbottabad, Tank, Kohat, Karak and Battagram. While the situation is still hairy for the party in selected tehsils, it is safe to assume PTI will bring in its nazims in the aforementioned districts.



Even though it is doing well in Swat, Mardan, Buner and Malakand, PTI has yet to completely pin opposition parties down in these areas. Meanwhile, with help from Qaumi Watan Party, it might just be able to overturn Awami National Party in its hometown of Charsadda. While ANP and PTI are staunch rivals on the face, their district chapters in Shangla, Hangu and Torghar have paid little attention to their own policies and joined hands.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 21st, 2015. ]]>
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			<title>SC wants ECP to explain delay in Sindh, Punjab LG polls</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/937572/sc-wants-ecp-to-explain-delay-in-sindh-punjab-lg-polls</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/937572/sc-wants-ecp-to-explain-delay-in-sindh-punjab-lg-polls#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 13 Aug 15 16:24:57 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Hasnaat Malik]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=937572</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Apex court says ECP's reasons for suggesting a delay in polls was unjustified, seeks concrete empirical data]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The Supreme Court on Thursday expressed dissatisfaction over fresh timelines proposed by Election Commission to conduct local government elections in Punjab and Sindh in three phases.

The three-member bench headed by Chief Justice-designate Jawwad S Khawaja was reviewing the proposed election schedule by the EC on Wednesday. The poll body had suggested holding elections on November 14, 29 and December 19 in three stages instead of the court mandated date of September 26.

Read: SC seeks reasons for LG polls delay in Punjab, Sindh

The ECP had previously cited five reasons for the delay and conducting the polls in three phases, including floods, shortage of resources and manpower, law and order situation, Hajj and Muharram considerations in September and October and lastly - lessons learnt from difficulties in staging local government polls in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

However, the bench observed, “Unfortunately, we are not able to see any empirical justification, rather a general and non-specific basis have been mentioned - that too in the shape of media reports and predictions of rains – which is not satisfactory."

Read: ECP presents phase wise schedule for LG polls in Sindh, Punjab

The bench regretted that while the Punjab and Sindh governments had been assuring the court about holding polls on time at over 15 hearings, the poll body was now suggesting a delay.

The apex court then postponed proceedings until August 18.]]>
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			<title>A clearer picture: K-P Cabinet tweaks LG Act to allow for runoff elections</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/936978/a-clearer-picture-k-p-cabinet-tweaks-lg-act-to-allow-for-runoff-elections</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/936978/a-clearer-picture-k-p-cabinet-tweaks-lg-act-to-allow-for-runoff-elections#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 12 Aug 15 22:17:54 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[our.correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[K-P]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=936978</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Says nazims, naib nazims should be elected after gaining majority votes]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[As the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Local Government Act 2015 continues to be tweaked, the provincial cabinet has proposed further amendments to clarify the legislation.


The decision was taken during a cabinet meeting at the Civil Secretariat on Wednesday. The nazim and naib nazims would now be elected on the basis of majority votes by all the members of their respective councils rather than those present at the council meeting during the time of the vote.

Speaking to journalists, Minister for Information Mushtaq Ghani said if an individual vying for the nazim or naib nazim slots fails to secure the majority vote from all the council members, a runoff election would be held between the leading two candidates. The runoffs could be held as many as three times to find a candidate with the majority vote.

The runoff process would be conducted in three weeks, but if candidates failed to secure a majority—whether on the district or tehsil level—that particular council would stand dissolved.

Devolution of power

Furthermore, the nazim district council will now be called the nazim district government and the minister for local government, who is a member of the K-P Finance Commission, will also co-chair the body.

“We want devolution of power in the real sense,” said the minister. “We want the city district council to become the City District Government.”

Accountability

The cabinet also recommended amendments to the K-P Ehtesab Commission Act 2014. As a result, lower courts will not have the power to grant bail to a convict. Under these amendments, the punishment of a convict cannot be decreased.

At the same time, the EC’s director general can turn any place into a police station or sub-jail. It was also decided that the commission would decide cases within three months and not adjourn proceedings for more than a week. The cabinet also recommended the regularisation of 290 employees of Global Alliance for Vaccination and Immunisation (GAVI) through a bill in the K-P Assembly.

Licensing authority

Meanwhile, another decision was taken to give the authority to issue commercial driving licences to the transport and mass transit department, while the police would only issue noncommercial licences up till October 30, 2016. The transport department, in the meantime, would enhance its capabilities and from November 1, 2016, all driving licences will be issued by it.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 13th, 2015.]]>
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			<title>ECP presents phase wise schedule for LG polls in Sindh, Punjab</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/936805/ecp-presents-phase-wise-schedule-for-lg-polls-in-sindh-punjab</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/936805/ecp-presents-phase-wise-schedule-for-lg-polls-in-sindh-punjab#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 12 Aug 15 16:20:14 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Hasnaat Malik]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=936805</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Proposed schedule says elections will be held from November 11 and end on December 19]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[In the Supreme Court of Pakistan on Wednesday, the Election Commission of Pakistan submitted a proposed schedule for conducting local government (LG) elections in Punjab and Sindh from November 11 in three phases.

According the proposed schedule, the first phase of LG polls will be held on November 11. The second and third phases will be held on November 29 and December 19, respectively.

In the first phase, LG polls will be held in 12 districts of Punjab, which include Lodhran, Vehari, Okara, Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar, Toba Tek Singh Sargodha, Kasir, Nankana Sahib, Gujarat, Rawalpindi and Attock.

In Sindh, the first phase will see polls being held in eight districts including Sukkur, Ghotki, Khairpur, Larkana, Qamber Shahadkot, Shikarpur, Jacobabad and Kashmore.

In the second phase, the ECP has proposed LG elections will be held in 12 districts of Punjab, including: Khanewal, Sahiwal, Faisalabad, Chiniot, Khushab, Mianwali, Sheikhupura, Gujranwala, Hafizabad, Mandi Bahauddin, Chakwal and Jhelum.

For the second phase in Sindh, the election authority has proposed polls in 14 districts, including Shaheed Benazirabad, Nowshehro Feroze, Dadu, Matiari, Jamshoro, Tando Allahyar, Tando Muhammad Khan, Thatta, Sujawal, Badin, Umerkot, Tharparkar, Sanghar and Mirpurkhas.

Read: LG polls — another delay

In the last phase, the commission has suggested polls in 12 districts of Punjab, including Pakpattan, Layyah, Rajanpur, DG Khan, Muzzaffargarh, Jhang, Bhakkar, Lahore, Sialkot, Narowal, RY Khan and Multan.

Likewise, it has also recommended seven districts of Sindh for polls in the last stage including six districts of Karachi and Hyderabad.

The ECP in its report said it reserved the flexibility of excluding or including any district in the first, second and third phase of the LG polls on the request of the respective provincial government.

Reasons for holding the LG polls in three phases

Having assured the apex court that it will complete the election process for holding the LG polls in both provinces by September 26, the ECP gave five reasons for the delay and for holding polls in three phases.

The reasons include floods in Sindh and Punjab; shortage of resources and manpower; the law and order situation; Hajj and Muharram considerations in September and October; and lastly lessons from LG elections in K-P – where holding elections in several districts in one day had proven to be extremely difficult.

The three-judge bench of the apex court, headed by Justice Jawwad S Khawaja will now examine the proposed schedule and are expected to pass an order in this regards on Thursday.

Read: PML-N leader petitions SC against LG polls

In December 2013, the high courts of both provinces had struck down the delimitations carried out by the respective governments and on March 19, 2014, the Supreme Court put off the polls for eight months, empowering the ECP to carry out fresh delimitations.

One year later, the court ordered the ECP to ensure that elections were held on September 26 in both provinces. But the ECP has again requested the SC to delay the LG polls for few months and allow holding the elections in three phases.]]>
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			<title>PTI in the lead as local govt re-polls close in K-P</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/929684/pti-in-the-lead-as-local-govt-re-polls-come-to-a-close-in-k-p</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/929684/pti-in-the-lead-as-local-govt-re-polls-come-to-a-close-in-k-p#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 30 Jul 15 21:22:24 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Baseer Qalandar]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[K-P]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=929684</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Both, the Awami National Party and the Pakistan Peoples Party failed to secure any seats per latest unofficial results]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[The ruling party in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, secured seven district council seats as re-polls for local government in Peshawar concluded. 

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PLM-N) secured three district seats while the Awami National Party and Pakistan People Party failed to secure even single seat as per initial results.

According to unofficial results in the provincial capital, PTI’s Amir Naveed won by securing 175 votes in Ghari Sherdad UC-45. PTI’s Rehman Afzal was victorious by securing 137 votes in UC-30. PTI’s Naveed Barki won from Urmar Payan. PTI’s Malik Afzal secured 137 votes to win UC-27. PTI’s Usman Bashir is said to have won in UC- 16, but the results were not confirmed till the filing of this report.

Read: Not un[eventful]: K-P inks LG representatives in round two of polling

DRO Riaz Mehsud said results were awaited from far-flung areas, adding that re-polls had been held in at least 29 polling stations in Peshawar alone.

Meanwhile PTI’s Gulab Shah succeeds by securing 791 votes in Bannu ward-16.

ANP’s Bakhtiar Muhammad secured 1,563 votes in Swabi’s ward-38 and is said to be the winning candidate. Independent Ahmed Sultan from Mardan’s ward-31 won after securing 1,739 votes.]]>
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			<title>LG polls — another delay</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/928803/lg-polls-another-delay</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/928803/lg-polls-another-delay#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 29 Jul 15 22:09:07 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[editorial]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Editorial]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=928803</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[LG polling has been postponed for so long that it's become difficult to conduct it smoothly, without controversy]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[The conduct of the provincial governments of Punjab and Sindh has made it quite clear over time that they are not too eager to conduct local government (LG) elections in their respective territories. This reluctance is the reason why LG polls that should have been held years ago in these provinces have been delayed year after year, thereby depriving the people of what is a basic constitutional right.

It now seems that even after the Supreme Court stepped in and asked the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in March this year to announce a poll schedule by July 28, the balloting process may not go ahead on time, yet again. The provinces have said that administrative officials are busy with work linked to the recent floods and are therefore unable to carry out the tasks of arranging for the printing of ballot papers or completing delimitations. They have requested at least 15 more days for this work to be completed. In response, the ECP has asked the apex Court for time up to August 17 to enable it to announce a schedule.

The situation is essentially a ludicrous one. The LG polling process has been deliberately postponed for so prolonged a period of time that it has become increasingly difficult to conduct it smoothly and without controversy. We have fallen out of step with our Constitution. Time and again, minor excuses have been used to justify these delays even though the administrative failures amount to denying people the right to choose local representatives, who can play a major role in helping manage their administrative affairs. There can be no excuse for this failure. The ECP has consistently passed the blame on to the provinces, and has also asked that the LG polls be held in phases, given the problems that arose during recent polling in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. But essentially, it is the body that must finally ensure that LG polls in Sindh and Punjab are conducted so that a basic requirement of our system is met. These polls have already been held back for far too long without any good reason and it is the people who suffer as a result.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 30th, 2015.

Like Opinion &amp; Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.]]>
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			<title>Indirect elections</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/927453/indirect-elections</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/927453/indirect-elections#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 27 Jul 15 20:41:01 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[sahar.bandial]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Opinion]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=927453</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Opted into power indirectly by male colleagues, women councillors are unlikely to yield real political authority]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[Following  a two-year long debate over questions of legality, constitutional mandates and practical limitations, the local government elections (LG) in Punjab are set to finally take place in September this year. We may credit the Supreme Court’s resilience in having the ECP commit to an election schedule or preventing the provincial administration from backtracking from necessary amendments to the election laws. Deliberations are underway. Candidate lists are being finalised. Promises are being made that the most worthy of party workers will be awarded tickets for the election.

These developments are noteworthy. The LG system has stood in abeyance for the past seven years. It is hoped (and may be naively so) that the upcoming elections shall set in place stronger foundations for democracy, effective channels of accountability, better service delivery, and the political empowerment and training of public representatives at the grass-root. What exciting prospects, one would exclaim.

Yet the formula of devolution and democratisation laid out in the Punjab Local Government Act, 2013 has been employed before. The Act, much like earlier counterparts, proposes a three-tiered structure of local government, elected through a mix of phased out direct and indirect elections to general and reserved seats. The Act reserves seats for four generally under-represented categories — women, peasants/workers, youth and non-Muslims. Elections to these seats at the very first tier of local government — the union council — were to be conducted directly under the original enactment. However, an amendment made through Ordinance to the 2013 Act this past month has scrapped the direct modality of elections to reserved seats at the union council.

What does this mean for the political participation of women in local governments? Female members of union councils are now to be indirectly elected to the two seats legally reserved for them, by eight (expectedly all male) returning candidates on general seats. Some have attempted to rationalise the amendment by arguing that it provides a cost-effective and convenient mode of election to women (and peasants etc.), who otherwise lack the financial resources and social capital to carry through the rigours and challenges of an open, competitive election. This may be partly true. Yet the amendment comes at a cost to the cause of women’s political empowerment, one that significantly outweighs the value of the concessions provided.

Gender quotas in political bodies are justified as a necessary measure, required to ensure women representation in key decision-making bodies. Yet as a mere number opted into power indirectly upon the whim of male colleagues, women councillors are unlikely to yield real political authority. To be effective, it is essential that at the very grass-roots of political activism and representation, female politicians maintain a direct and real link with a constituency, which continually holds them accountable for promises made and operates as a bulwark against undue opposition or censure. Indirect elections, however, divorce a politician from an electoral base, and therefore the fountainhead of political power. Where political success depends on patronage from party leadership or other members, rather than the will of the electorate, women councillors are disabled from developing the independence and maturity to eventually contest and win an open and competitive contest. Accountability is due not to the electorate but to such benefactors. The system then breeds room for nepotism and corruption while in many ways reinforcing existing (gender) disparities of power. This can hardly be the logic behind reserved seats.

Why has the recent amendment to the LG law moved me to such critique? Surely, the criticism is equally applicable to seats reserved for women in the national and provincial assemblies, filled through indirect elections. Yet the change in the modality of elections at the union council level is particularly problematic. As the very first tier of representative government, the union council is a breeding ground of political consciousness and activism. True political empowerment of women at the union council, through direct access and accountability to the electorate, can help build a pool of more able and independent female candidates for positions of authority at higher levels of government. Empowerment at the grass-roots then is key to mainstreaming women in politics.  The transformative potential of gender quotas will otherwise be difficult to realise.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 28th, 2015.

Like Opinion &amp; Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.]]>
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			<title>Towards local governance</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/927459/towards-local-governance</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/927459/towards-local-governance#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 27 Jul 15 20:11:57 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[tariq.mahmud]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Opinion]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=927459</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[How far will provincial governments go towards conceding administrative and financial space to these institutions?]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) is now in the second phase of instituting local governments (LG), holding by-elections for special and general seats of local councils, with the process expected to be completed by the first week of August. It is hoped that by the close of the year, these institutions will start functioning in all provinces. This will complete the cycle of instituting representative governance at the federal, provincial and local levels, meeting a key constitutional requirement. This is indeed a sign that there is now a clear sense of direction as far as taking democracy to the grass roots is concerned. The elected councillors, though representing political parties, are expected to function and dispense services above party lines and go beyond their political affiliations. This is going to remain both a political and moral challenge. There is also the issue of empowerment: how far will provincial governments go towards conceding administrative and financial space to these institutions?

Elections to local councils in Sindh and Punjab are also around the corner. The two provinces may have to go the extra mile to ensure credibility and fairness of the massive exercise, which may be marred by controversies and bitterness. The recent LG polls in K-P, for instance, left in their trail some key questions, which are yet to be answered both by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and the provincial government. There were allegations of rigging and of blatant mismanagement, which marred an otherwise well-intended move. With the dust settling down, it is time now to closely reflect on these polls for some policy inferences. Regarding rigging allegations, one may say that the whole process amounted to a free-for-all exercise: wherever there was an opportunity for someone to flex their muscles, they did. To throw the entire blame on the doors of the party in power, however, is a bit unfair. The PTI on the whole suffered a significant fall in its popular vote from 45 per cent in the 2013 general elections to 30 per cent in the LG polls, while all other parties made appreciable gains, most significantly the ANP.

LG polls have always been a rather violent and bloody affair in Pakistan as at this level, the electoral process becomes highly factionalised and person-centric. Primordial instincts of caste, creed, tribe and biradri are so pronounced that it only requires a minor trigger for these layers to burst at the seams and take a violent form. The stance of the PTI leadership that the peaceful conduct of elections was the responsibility of the ECP does not hold ground as the overall responsibility for maintaining law and order is that of the provincial government. Most violent acts took place outside the precincts of polling stations, areas falling within the domain of the district police. Likewise, presiding officers drawn from the provincial government were entrusted with special magisterial powers, which they hardly exercised, even when the situation so demanded. Either they lacked in training or were just too laidback to realise their responsibilities. The relative aloofness of the police and its belated or sub-optimal response to various situations was distinctly visible. This could be attributable to the behavioral logjam in police forces around the country in the aftermath of the Model Town killings in Lahore. The police now tries to avoid taking steps that could be misconstrued both by the political leadership and a proactive media.

Another area of concern was the issue of time management, which was not clearly visualised by the ECP. A voter was required to cast seven votes within a short time. During the general election, during the same time period, voters were expected to cast only two votes. The polling staff was not adequately trained to handle such a huge responsibility. I have previously underlined the need to raise a permanent staff for election duties, whose members should be exposed to periodic intensive training exercises. Even with all the problems that the LG polls were plagued with, the K-P government still needs to be commended for taking an important first step. The province has been able to push the level of devolution down to the village and neighbourhood levels through the electoral process. This move by itself is a fairly challenging one as at this stage one cannot be sure of its success: this could either prove to be a catalyst of change or the entire structure may fall into redundancy if it is not given the requisite support. The charter assigned to the village and neighbourhood councils reveals that these are going to be dispute-resolution forums with a conciliatory framework at the local level. These forums will not only help promote local conciliation but also pave the way for an alternative to the time-consuming, costlier, formal judicial system. The village councils could also work as operational arms of the district councils and serve as the basic tier where planning and execution of community level schemes is done. The LG polls have enabled K-P to cross the first bar of electoral legitimacy by putting public representatives in place. The strength of the system, however, will lie in the government’s intent to enable these institutions to perform their core functions without any caveats.

It is a pity that Karachi, a huge metropolitan area, does not have a special dispensation and a resource base commensurate with its population and mounting problems. Instead, the Sindh government is relying on the municipal mode of governance. For a core municipal function of building control, for instance, it has a set-up that works under the provincial government. In Punjab, there is a strong move to take over some of the core municipal functions through corporate fiats. The law envisages setting up of education and health authorities, cattle market companies and now building control authorities, giving more powers to the provincial government, a move which is palpably in conflict with the preamble of the LG Act. Functions and activities of local councils should be in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity as has been the practice in many parts of the world. This implies that problems of a local nature must be resolved at that very level and through elected representatives having the final word in decision-making. In case of glitches, governments should come forward to help these institutions rather than arrogate their core functions through administrative fiats. An LG system under the influence of an upper tier of governance is not the ideal one.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 28th, 2015.

Like Opinion &amp; Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.]]>
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			<title>Population and the governance meltdown</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/841528/population-and-the-governance-meltdown</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/841528/population-and-the-governance-meltdown#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 20 Feb 15 21:12:39 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[farrukh.khan.pitafi]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Opinion]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=841528</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Certain political pressure groups did not want to take chances with any serious census as it may challenge their hold]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[You will find many who blame this squarely on the Eighteenth Amendment. And they have good arguments too. That is, if you ignore the reason why the said amendment was introduced. The argument goes like this: there was a reason, it says, that the concurrent list was not abolished. Provinces did not have the capacity to take so much responsibility. Now that they have won their heart’s desire, the added burden of governance is killing them. As I said, it sounds like a fair argument on the face of it. But that is just about it.

We know that the power struggle between the centre and the provinces is an old one. But that is not why the Eighteenth Amendment was introduced. It was meant to cure the Constitution of the injuries inflicted by the Seventeenth Amendment and the bad aftertaste of the two provisional constitutional orders, the legal framework order of 2002 and judgments of the honourable courts that vetted all that. Later it was decided, through consensus, to fulfil the original promise of the framers of the 1973 Constitution to abolish the concurrent list. Provinces got additional power. But power was not supposed to stay there. It was supposed to be further devolved to local governments. This never happened as provinces and their bureaucracies don’t seem inclined to let go of power. And given that we didn’t have a very powerful democratic government at the centre, provinces didn’t help either. In some provinces, ineptness has broken new records. But that is due to political reasons, not constitutional ones.

Let us suppose for a moment, pretend that the Eighteenth Amendment was never passed. Do you see any change in the quality of governance then? I doubt it. Why? One reason is that from the tribal areas and Balochistan to Islamabad’s D-chowk during the Qadri-Khan sit-ins, the state’s monopoly on violence was severely tested. But the second reason is messier and far more terrifying. As the number of mouths to feed increases, the state’s self-confidence shakes.

Population, we were taught, doesn’t increase. It multiplies. And it has been multiplying for a while. Projections show that the population growth rate is coming down in Pakistan. It was 1.6 per cent, we are told, in 2013, which is 0.4 per cent more than India’s 1.2 per cent. But unlike India, ours is pure projection. We haven’t had a census in decades. Former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani used to claim that we are 180 million even when his president and party chairman, Asif Ali Zardari, would mention a figure of 200 million. This was a source of many jokes. We used to laugh while reflecting that between the PM House and the Presidency, which stand side by side, 20 million are lost. We need population control because of the state’s inability to even take care of the existing number. But more importantly, we need new credible and verifiable numbers. Without credible census data, any development project will be akin to building castles in the air. Neither provinces nor the centre can deliver any significant results because they don’t get the exact measure of the improvement in the quality of life of the citizenry a specific project will offer.

But what stops successive governments from carrying out a census? If India, with its over 1.2 billion population, accomplished this in 2011, why can’t we? The first answer would take us back to the abysmal standards during Pervez Musharraf’s rule. An all-powerful dictator, who is erroneously praised for relatively better governance, systematically abandoned many causes, from the distribution system for clean drinking water to the census itself. Even after his rule, certain political pressure groups did not want to take chances with any serious study of demographic changes as it may challenge their hold. It is not easily acceptable to the sub-nationalist elements in Balochistan and interior Sindh. And in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa? Well, who are we kidding?

In its last days in office, the PPP government at the centre — and later the caretaker government — also tinkered with the measurement standards of various phenomena like poverty. But no matter how you redefine it, the spectres of hunger, poverty and falling standards of governance remain there. About time we started changing that. And the change can begin with stocktaking and a national population census.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 21st,  2015.

Like Opinion &amp; Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.]]>
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			<title>ECP to unveil LG poll schedule for Sindh, Punjab, K-P on Feb 12</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/830742/ecp-to-unveil-lg-poll-schedule-for-sindh-punjab-k-p-on-feb-12</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/830742/ecp-to-unveil-lg-poll-schedule-for-sindh-punjab-k-p-on-feb-12#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 31 Jan 15 15:39:16 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[irfan.ghauri]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=830742</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Fate of LGs uncertain for Islamabad, cantonments]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will submit a tentative schedule for local body elections in Sindh, Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), before the Supreme Court (SC) on February 12, as the apex court is set to take up the issue once again.

Sources in the ECP told The Express Tribune that the commission is working on tentative dates for the LG polls in these provinces, and submit the schedule before the SC to build pressure on the provinces to fulfill their constitutional obligation.

LG polls in Sindh, Punjab and K-P are due since 2009 -- when the last LG system expired. The only exception, Balochistan, completed the process of LG elections on January 28 this year.

“We are deliberating possible dates of polls and will convey that to the SC,” an official associated with LG polls in the ECP said.

ECP plans to hold LG polls in K-P by May. The tentative schedule for it is being discussed with the provincial government, the official said.

The official added that the only remaining hitch now was the K-P government’s insistence to go for polls on the same day across the province. The ECP has proposed that the provincial government to hold polls in phases owing to issues of security and logistics.

“This is not a big issue. Hopefully it will be resolved in the next meeting,” the official said. However, he did not know the date for the next meeting.

ECP officials claim that almost all pre-requisites for going to the polls were complete for K-P.

Punjab, Sindh big worry

Punjab and Sindh – the country’s biggest provinces by population -- have been dragging their feet over local body elections with neither providing ECP with complete delimitation data.

“ECP will submit a schedule contingent to the time frame for fresh delimitations,” officials said.

ECP officials added that they plan to start delimitations in mid-February, with the process expected to take around four months.

“It takes another two to four months to hold polls once the delimitation process is complete. We will fix a tentative date for polls accordingly,” officials said.

Islamabad and cantonments

The federal capital and cantonments remain far behind when it comes to having any local governments.

The Parliament has to pass the local government laws for them. Proposed legislations for an LG system in Islamabad and cantonment, pending with the National Assembly’s standing committee since last year, have yet to be taken up.

It is only after a local government system is adopted by the legislature, the rules are framed, that delimitations can be carried out for holding elections.

Delimitations holding up LG elections

After the 18th constitutional amendment package adopted by Parliament in 2010, the subject of local governments was devolved to provinces which are empowered to adopt any system of their choice for local governments. They were empowered frame subsequent rules and conduct delimitations.

ECP’s role was limited to just supervising the polls. However, opposition parties in Punjab and Sindh accused their respective provincial governments for what they called biased demarcation of boundaries for LG constituencies. This prompted the opposition parties to mount legal challenges in the respective high courts.

The superior judiciary decided the cases in favour of petitioners, and directed that the ECP should conduct delimitations in these provinces. The courts also directed Punjab and Sindh to make changes in their legislation to empower ECP conduct delimitations. It took both provinces months to do so.

Officials in the elections wing of the ECP claim that it has been well over a year since have asked the provincial administration to hand over maps and other data of delimitations which are necessary to kick start fresh delimitations.

In the last hearing on January 8 this year, the SC had asked the ECP to come up with the schedule for the polls in the next hearing. It directed the provinces to provide all necessary assistance.

ECP officials are hopeful that these two provinces will complete the handing over of data of all their districts in the coming week so that the commission can chalk out a clear schedule for the polls.

In case their data and documents are not received by next week, the ECP would plead the SC to take action against the provincial governments for not following the orders of the highest court of the country.]]>
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			<title>The other disaster management</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/829016/the-other-disaster-management</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/829016/the-other-disaster-management#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 28 Jan 15 19:23:14 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[fahd.husain]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Opinion]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=829016</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[If I fear going into a police station, dread the going to a hospital, I really don’t care about that glitzy bridge]]>
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				<![CDATA[Come to think of it, what a feat Balochistan has achieved by successfully holding local body elections. It is quite amazing actually.

Well done Balochistan. And shame on you Punjab, Sindh and Khyber –Pakhtunkhwa (K-P). Shame on your leadership for abdicating its constitutional obligation and democratic duty. Shame on you for depriving your people their basic right to elect their representatives; and shame on you for deliberately obfuscating an issue that is clear as day. Yes shame on you for not holding local bodies elections for fear of losing power to the grassroots leadership; and shame on you for insulting the intelligence of every Pakistani by coming up with half-baked excuses to keep delaying the local body polls. You — yes you leadership of these provinces — you stand guilty of damaging democracy for your own petty and selfish interests.

Here’s the real tragedy though: this shame-inducing action (or lack of it) is reflective of a larger disease that afflicts our leadership across the board: lack of vision. Holding local body elections is not just an event, or merely an obligation, or even a favour to the electorate — no sirs, it is part of an ongoing process of refining a representative system so it better serves the voter. The real emphasis is not on the local body polls, but on the struggle required to constantly and consistently reform the structures and institutions that constitute the system that runs a democratic country. Now if it were a copy/paste process, life for our dear leaders would have been real easy. But it ain’t. One size does not fit all.

So what happens here? Politicians opt for the obvious no-brainers. Throw money after concrete projects that are visible to the public. Hey, see that bridge! I built it for you, with your money. And see that broad avenue, and that glittering bus? Yep, that’s me too. For you. With your money. So now you know, I’m competent and a doer, and that opponent of mine, he’s just talk.

Sure politics is not that simple, and governance is a fine balancing act between demands, desires, resources and priorities. But this is exactly where that vision thing comes in.

Law and order is a provincial subject and therefore the direct — and primary — responsibility of the provincial leadership. Has any province undertaken comprehensive police reforms? K-P most probably has taken some steps to depoliticise its police, but this is just the start. In Punjab, the mighty police relish beating blind men and little kids, and of course, shooting people dead in Model Town. There is no sign whatsoever that the leadership of Punjab is interested in reforming the police. None. Yes, some very superficial steps have been taken but that’s pretty much it. In fact, what is occupying the minds of the Punjab police bosses is a new design for police uniforms. Priorities anyone?

The absolute disaster that we call our police is just one example of the disaster that goes by the name of governance by the provincial leadership. Again, the situation may be slightly better in K-P because Imran Khan is at least talking about the need for reforming the police, health, education, etc. but the other three provinces seem to be lurching from one ad hoc, half-baked cockamamie policy to another. You know why? When you do not have a clear vision based on a solid understanding of the objectives, you surrender yourself to your fancy, and that of others who surround you.

So hey, you provincial leaders: how many of you really, really want every single boy and girl in your province to be in school? Go ahead, raise your hand and tell us, which one of you believes this is your primary and most fundamental responsibility? Which one of you truly believes this is what you will be judged for by history, and that this is the one challenge you are willing to devote your time, energy and resources to? You Janab Shahbaz Sharif? You Janab Qaim Ali Shah? You Mr Pervez Khattak? Really? And you Dr Malik? Can you put your hand on your heart and say this with every part of your politicised being?

If the answer is a ‘no’, you need to walk away from this job you hold. If the answer is a ‘yes’, then you are seriously incompetent because your performance belies your claim. Just look at the number of children out of school in your province, and then look at yourself in the mirror. Feeling a sense of shame?

If I live in your province, and my kids either cannot go to school, or are forced to study in a third-rate government institution, or I have to send them to a madrassa, I really do not care for your fancy roads and manicured crossings. If I fear going into a police station, and dread the day I have to go to a hospital, I really don’t give a damn about that glitzy bridge, or that signal-free corridor.

Priority is the key word here. That’s what leaders do: set priorities. These priorities, in turn, are a direct product of the leaders’ vision and conviction. If I am convinced that a prosperous and progressive future for Pakistan is dependent on every child being in school, then I will ensure this happens on my watch, whatever it takes. If it is my conviction that I must provide the citizens the most efficient and service-oriented police force; if I am clear in my mind that I must ensure that citizens have access to the best health facilities and a complete merit-oriented, level playing field; if I am rock-sure that I must reform the bureaucracy so citizens can enjoy a higher quality of transparent governance; if I deeply believe in devolving power to the grassroots level through the local bodies system — then I will do whatever it takes, howsoever it takes, and however long it takes to make sure that I get all of this done. Then I will not lurch from policy to random policy; from one gimmick to another, but will work methodically and logically to make the vision come true.

So hey, provincial leaders, if I ask whether you have such a vision, which one of you — seriously, honestly — can raise his hand?

Oh!

Published in The Express Tribune, January 29th,  2015.

Like Opinion &amp; Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.]]>
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			<title>LG polls: SC gives Punjab, Sindh one month to complete arrangements for LG polls</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/818839/lg-polls-sc-gives-punjab-sindh-one-month-to-complete-arrangements-for-lg-polls</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/818839/lg-polls-sc-gives-punjab-sindh-one-month-to-complete-arrangements-for-lg-polls#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 08 Jan 15 18:40:26 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Hasnaat Malik]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=818839</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[SC orders govt to to promulgate ordinance for empowering ECP to hold LG polls in Cantonment Boards]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) complained to the Supreme Court on Thursday that the provincial governments of Punjab and Sindh had yet to provide the commission complete data regarding the delimitation process for Local Government elections.    

“The ECP is committed to initiating the process of delimitation for local governments as soon as possible once complete information relating to notification of demarcation of local areas, determination of number of union councils/wards and authenticated maps are received from the Punjab and Sindh governments as well as amendments in the respective acts by the two provinces,” said the commission in its report.

During Thursday’s hearing, counsel for ECP Akram Sheikh requested the court to bind the Sindh and Punjab government to complete election process so that the commission could announce a schedule for polls within a week.

Upon this, the top court has directed both provincial governments to complete the arrangements for holding local government elections within a month.

The three judge bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice Nasirul Mulk further directed the federal government to promulgate an ordinance empowering the ECP to hold similar elections in all the 43 Cantonment Boards of the country.

The hearing was adjourned till February 12.

LG poll preparations by Punjab

In its report the commission stated that during a meeting with representatives of the provincial governments and the cantonment boards on December 30, 2014, secretary Punjab local government assured the ECP that the exercise of demarcation of local governments and determination of the number of seats in the local government institutions has been completed for 31 districts of Punjab.

The ECP said they were assured that the requisite notification along with the authenticated maps would be provided to the commission once the requisite exercise is completed in the remaining five districts.

Similarly, a draft for removing anomalies in the Punjab Local Government Act 2013, as highlighted by the commission during a similar meeting, has been prepared and would be presented before the provincial assembly for necessary amendments.

According to the report, the Punjab government has sent details of local areas, number of union councils, wards in each local government along with maps of 25 districts to the Provincial Election Commissioner (PEC) Punjab. For the remaining districts, there was only a promise for swift compliance.

However, the PEC Punjab revealed that in the documents they had so far received, there was no information on the population in each local area. Hence, the report concluded that delimitation could not be initiated.

LG poll preparations by Sindh

On the issue of holding local government elections in Sindh, the ECP in its report said that existing provisions of the Sindh Local Government Act 2013 require reconsideration, for the sake of clarity.

Moreover, the commission said that printing of ballot papers for multi-member constituency in party based elections may prove to be a highly challenging task for the Printing Corporation of Pakistan. In this regard, the ECP report noted that the PEC Sindh had proposed single member constituency to be delimited for conducting elections against the seats of general members in the union council and union committee.

Similarly, the secretary local government Sindh had stated that the process of notification of demarcation of local governments and the number of seats, preparation of authenticated maps was in progress and the requisite date and maps would be completed shortly.

A draft bill for removing anomalies in the Sindh Local Government Act 2013, as pointed out by the commission, had also been submitted before the competent authority, and would be tabled in the provincial assembly for consideration.

LG polls in Cantonment Boards

Referring to the issue pertaining to holding local government elections in the cantonment boards, the report submitted by the commission said a draft of the ordinance for amending the Cantonments Ordinance 2002, empowering ECP for conducting local bodies elections in the cantonment boards, has been prepared by the Director General Military Lands and Cantonments Department.

The ECP noted that a draft is pending with the defense ministry for necessary action with the expectation that it would be promulgated within a couple of weeks.]]>
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			<title>LG polls in cantonments: SC to take up contempt petition against PM on Thursday</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/790207/lg-polls-in-cantonments-sc-to-take-up-contempt-petition-against-pm-on-thursday</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/790207/lg-polls-in-cantonments-sc-to-take-up-contempt-petition-against-pm-on-thursday#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 12 Nov 14 18:29:40 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Hasnaat Malik]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=790207</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[The premier has failed to implement the apex court’s order for holding LG elections in Cantonment areas]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[A contempt petition against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for not implementing the court’s order for holding Local Government (LG) elections in Cantonment areas of the country, has been fixed for hearing before the Supreme Court.

A three judge bench of the apex court, headed by chief justice Nasirul Mulk will on Thursday take up the contempt plea, filed by Raja Rub Nawaz.

LG polls have not been held in cantonment areas for the past 15 years.

Earlier, the court had initiated contempt proceedings against Ex Defence Secretary Asif Yasin over the government’s failure to hold local body elections in all 53 cantonment boards by May 5, 2013. Later on, several directives were passed in this regard but the government did not complete its preparation for holding LG polls in cantonment areas.

Meanwhile, the court is also resuming hearing about the appointment of a new Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) on Thursday.

Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) office has not submitted a written plea seeking more time regarding the appointment of new CEC. It is thus expected AGP Salman Aslam Butt will orally request the bench for more time to complete the process for appointing a new CEC.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is also due to submit report regarding the holding of LG polls in Khyber-Pakhtunhawa.

A senior official of the commission said that if the K-P government withdraws its demand to hold the LG polls through bio metric system, then the commission was willing to hold elections in the either March or April.]]>
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			<title>Consensus against LGs</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/784112/consensus-against-lgs</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/784112/consensus-against-lgs#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 31 Oct 14 19:27:00 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Adnan Randhawa]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Opinion]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=784112</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Whether it’s Nawaz, Shahbaz duo or Imran, Zardari or Asfandyar — there does not seem to be much difference on this]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The Supreme Court of Pakistan in April 2014 told the federal and provincial governments to complete the necessary legislation within five months in order to give the Election Commission of Pakistan delimitation powers and hold the local government (LG) elections by November 2014. Despite the presence of Article 140-A of the Constitution, LG elections have not been held for the past nine years.

As all political parties want to stay clear of the ‘sin’ that goes by the term ‘devolution of power’, the establishment of local governments is still a dream unfulfilled. Rhetoric and demagogy apart, our political leaders’ love for democracy is beyond any doubt, only if it suits their personal parochial interests.

The constitutional demand of holding LG elections is as sacred as that of holding general elections. General elections, which lead the top leaders of all political parties to the power corridors, must be held on a timely basis, as any discontinuity will severely endanger democracy. But the non-holding of LG elections, which may devolve state power along with funds worth billions of rupees to the grass roots, is okay, nay, even preferable. Whether it’s the Nawaz and Shahbaz duo or their chief critic Imran Khan, whether it’s Asif Ali Zardari or his junior partner Asfandyar Wali — there does not seem to be much difference among them on this score.

The PML-N in Punjab and the PPP in Sindh are in office for consecutive second terms. The PTI had promised to hold LG elections within three months of coming into power in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P). The ANP remained in government for five years in K-P but it never occurred to it that LG elections should be held. The same goes for previous governments in Balochistan. The current government there did hold LG elections, but local bodies could not be established there even after the elections.

After the May 2013 elections, all ruling parties were under pressure to install local bodies, but all of them managed to circumvent this with absolute mastery. The question which none of the leaders would like to answer is: why did their respective governments not pass the required legislation as ordered by the Supreme Court within five months?

According to the claims made by some people, the development funds for the whole of Punjab were used by the PML-N in Lahore. If the LG system was in place, could the national leadership of the PML-N have taken so much political, financial and business advantage? Would there have been sufficient funds left for Lahore to build an expensive Metro Bus project, if the development funds had been distributed equitably among the 34 district governments? Again, if the Metro Bus projects in big cities like Lahore, Faisalabad and Multan are built and run by the local government as is the practice all over the world, what performance would the ‘Khadim-e-Aala’ and the prime minister have to show to the electorate for the next election campaign?

Also, it’s not certain that the ruling parties in the provinces will be able to secure the coveted district positions in all the districts under their direct control through a subservient and collusive bureaucracy if LG elections are held. Sans local government bodies, the chief ministers are virtually as powerful as monarchs.

In the absence of LGs, it is easy to misappropriate development funds. In LGs, even a citizen of a union council knows how much development fund his local councillor has been allotted, who can then be held accountable. Without LGs, public scrutiny becomes minimal; hence, the chances of any accountability come down to almost zero.

The chief ministers, with the blessings of their party heads, want to rule the districts directly through DCOs and DPOs and so, the non-holding of LG elections becomes a shared interest. The party heads, through the chief ministers, use loyal bureaucrats to maintain control over parliamentarians in the districts. Bureaucrats feel comfortable and autonomous in (mis)using power and funds while being directly answerable to chief ministers, who are based in distant provincial capitals. They would prefer this set-up than have local politicians hanging over their heads.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 1st, 2014.

Like Opinion &amp; Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.]]>
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			<title>Assembly proceedings: K-P govt puts onus of LG polls on election commission</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/781964/assembly-proceedings-k-p-govt-puts-onus-of-lg-polls-on-election-commission</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/781964/assembly-proceedings-k-p-govt-puts-onus-of-lg-polls-on-election-commission#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 27 Oct 14 17:49:03 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[manzoor.ali]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[K-P]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=781964</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Says prerequisites complete, up to ECP to announce schedule for elections]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The provincial government has passed the buck to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for holding local government (LG) elections in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.


Responding to an adjournment motion raised by JUI-F lawmaker Mufti Syed Janan in Monday’s provincial assembly session, Minister for Local Government Inayatullah Khan said it was ECP’s responsibility to announce the schedule for LG elections, not the provincial government’s.

“The provincial government has completed all prerequisites and also moved an application to the ECP to hold polls under the biometric system,” said Khan.

According to the LG minister, the government has carried out delimitation and passed the LG Act, now it was up to the ECP to inform it in writing about any deficiency instead of making statements in the media.

Khan told the house that the ECP has been informed that the K-P government wants to hold local bodies elections in phases because it would be difficult to make arrangements in colder parts of the province and procure biometric systems for the entire province.

“If ECP authorities think they can manage elections across K-P, we have no objections,” he added.

Janan had earlier criticised the provincial government for failing to hold LG polls sooner despite the many claims it had made at the start of its tenure asking the LG minister to announce a poll date immediately.

Later, PPP’s Nighat Orakzai raised the issue of India’s violations of the Line of Control. Speaker Asad Qaiser asked the lawmakers to present a joint resolution on the matter. Subsequently, a joint resolution condemning Indian aggression was tabled and passed by the assembly.

Inequitable fund distribution

During the question hour, Janan raised the issue of funds distribution and the legislature learnt that during the previous ANP-PPP government’s tenure which lasted from 2008-2013, Mardan district received the lion’s share of the Chief Minister Discretionary Fund.

According to the figures submitted to the assembly, a total allocation of Rs15.8 billion was made to the discretionary fund in those five years. Of this amount, Mardan district, the hometown of the then chief minister Amir Haider Khan Hoti, received Rs7.7 billion, nearly half the total amount of the fund, while the underdeveloped districts were allocated a paltry sum.

As per the figures, from 2008-2013, Mardan led the share allocation with Rs7.7 billion followed by Peshawar with an allocation of Rs1.3 billion. The other districts remained inadequately funded with Abbottabad getting Rs0.19 billion, Bannu Rs0.32 billion, Battagram Rs0.15 billion, Buner Rs0.33 billion, Charsadda Rs0.88 billion, Lower Dir Rs0.34 billion and Upper Dir Rs 0.23 billion.

Similarly, DI Khan was allotted Rs0.76 billion from the CM Discretionary Fund , Haripur received Rs0.23 billion, Kohat Rs0.23 billion, Kohistan Rs0.21 billion, Malakand Rs0.47 billion, Mansehra Rs0.37 billion, Nowshera Rs0.56 billion, Swabi Rs0.58 billion and Swat Rs0.7 billion.

Incidentally, throughout the five years the least amount of the share went to the most underdeveloped districts, Tank received a measly Rs32 million, Karak Rs95 million, Shangla Rs49 million, Chitral Rs0.1 billion, Hangu Rs0.15 billion and Lakki Marwat Rs0.17 billion.

Moreover, the house also passed the K-P Elementary and Secondary Education Foundation (amendment) Bill 2014, and the session was later adjourned till Tuesday afternoon.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 28th, 2014.]]>
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			<title>Punjab Assembly adopts local government bill</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/781891/punjab-assembly-adopts-local-government-bill</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/781891/punjab-assembly-adopts-local-government-bill#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 27 Oct 14 14:54:53 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[aroosa.shoukat]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Punjab]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=781891</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Bill empowers ECP to carry out delimitation of constituencies of the local government]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Following the Sindh Assembly’s decision to hand over the powers of delimitation to the Election Commission of Pakistan, the Punjab Assembly on Monday passed a similar bill.

The Punjab Local Government (Second Amendment) Bill 2014, passed by a majority of the house, will empower the ECP to carry out delimitation of constituencies of the local government.

Earlier, the Supreme Court had directed the Punjab government to make necessary amendments in the bill.

The opposition welcomed the amendments but moved for further deliberations on the amendments which were opposed by the House.

The ordinance was tabled in the Punjab Assembly on October 20 which was subsequently sent to the Standing Committee on Local Government and Development. The committee was given a week’s time to submit its report.

The ordinance was presented by provincial Law Minister Mujtaba Shujaur Rahman along with four other ordinances.

Poll

[poll id="1369"]]]>
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			<title>Islamabad LG bill: After passing first hurdle, bill now faces parliament</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/776011/islamabad-lg-bill-after-passing-first-hurdle-bill-now-faces-parliament</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/776011/islamabad-lg-bill-after-passing-first-hurdle-bill-now-faces-parliament#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 15 Oct 14 23:46:54 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[zahid.gishkori]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=776011</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[NA standing committee approves draft, opposition parties worried by lack of local input.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Islamabad’s governance might finally be in the hands of Islamabadis, rather than bureaucrats. 


On Wednesday, the National Assembly Standing Committee on Interior and Narcotics unanimously approved the proposed ‘Islamabad Capital Territory Local Government Bill, 2013’.

For the first time, the federal capital will have its own metropolitan corporation headed by an elected mayor. The city council will comprise of members directly elected from union councils and wards. Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan signed the drafted bill, prepared after consultation with the Islamabad Capital Territory Administration and other stakeholders.



The draft ICT Local Government Bill 2013 and some additional recommendations from the NA panel members will likely to be presented before parliament next week.

In July 2013, the Supreme Court had directed the government that “elections have to be held both in rural and urban areas and there should not be any distinction between both the areas for holding elections”.

If passed, the bill — a copy of which available with The Express Tribune — would cover all areas falling within ICT.

What’s inside

The draft continues to read that the scheme of local government for ICT includes a metropolitan corporation and union councils. A union council shall consist of a directly-elected chairman, vice chairman, and six general members, and reserved seats for two women, one peasant or worker, one youth and one non-Muslim, it added.

The entire union council shall be the constituency for the elected and reserved posts, while the metropolitan corporation shall consist of chairmen of all union councils and include the indirectly elected members including women, workers, technocrats, youth and non-Muslims.

The mayor and deputy mayor shall be elected as joint candidates by chairmen of all union councils and members on the general as well as on reserved seats, it further read. After passage of this bill, the government will specify local areas within ICT as union councils and for the metropolitan corporation.

Under the new laws, the government may divide a local government into two or more local governments or alter the limits of a local government.

With the repeal of Capital Development Authority Ordinance Section 15-8, the municipal functions shall be divided between the union councils and the metropolitan corporation. The functions of both are subject to the provisions of the CDA Ordinance and ICT Zoning Regulations.

The local government will be able to collect direct taxes to run expenditures. MNA Syed Asif Hasnain of Muttahida Qaumi Movement suggested that the mayor must be empowered to levy taxes, fee, rate, toll, charge or surcharge specified in the fourth schedule. “Islamabad must have a model have model system.”

The proposed bill, which was approved without lengthy debate, further reads that the requirements for candidates include 25 years of age, Pakistani citizenship and enrollment on electoral rolls in the specific union council. The term of the local government shall be five years from the date of its first meeting and the mayor may be removed from office by a two-thirds majority of the members, it added.

Overlaps

The development, planning and overall maintenance of the master plan within the specified area of ICT will continue to rest with the CDA, and thus the overall master plan as well. On this point, experts feared the CDA and the metropolitan corporation may clash over some key administrative matters under the existing law and provisions of new law.

Former CDA chairman Kamran Lashari, termed the latest development “a call of the day”, but noted that some issues could easily be politicised. “Political repercussion after the election of a mayor could very well happen,” he told The Express Tribune.

Oversight

The government shall appoint a local government commission conduct inspections, inquiries, audit, resolve disputes with governments, enquire into matters referred, submit annual report on performance, and take cognisance of violation of laws. A retired civil servant or senior citizen of integrity will be chairman of this commission for five years. Two members from the general public will be nominated by the leader of the house and leader of the opposition in the National Assembly. The government will also nominate two technocrats and two representatives, each nominated by chief commissioner Islamabad and the CDA chairman. The city council will also appoint inspectors who will be able to impose fines through ticketing to ensure good governance.

The auditor general of Pakistan will conduct audits of the city council’s accounts and final reports will be submitted to parliament, Interior Ministry Additional Secretary Imtiaz Tajwar informed the committee. “Islamabad enjoys special status — this is why its local government system would be a model for others cities,” he observed.

Good or bad?

Zafarullah Khan, a leading campaigner for a local government system in Islamabad termed the approval ‘a positive step’. At the same time, he pointed out that lawmakers who represent Islamabad in parliament were not invited by the committee.

PPP Senator Saeeda Iqbal said her party will oppose the bill until their recommendations are included. She said the draft of the bill has been taken from the Punjab local government bill, which is not acceptable to them. “I will take this issue up with colleagues in the Senate when it is tabled there,” she added.

Senator Osman Saifullah Khan, who also represents Islamabad, said they will review this bill when it is referred to the Senate committee. He expressed his concerns as many Islamabad representatives were not consulted in legislation on the Islamabad-Rawalpindi metro bus project either. “It’s unfair — their input must be taken on all issues related to the capital.”

Published in The Express Tribune, October 16th, 2014.]]>
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			<title>At the grass roots; ‘LG system could have helped tackle polio’</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/771525/at-the-grass-roots-lg-system-could-have-helped-tackle-polio</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/771525/at-the-grass-roots-lg-system-could-have-helped-tackle-polio#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 04 Oct 14 23:00:51 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[our.correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[K-P]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=771525</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[JI Ameer Sirajul Haq says mid-term elections depend on federal government’s performance.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Emergency measures to tackle the polio outbreak could have been taken at the grass-root level had a local government (LG) system been in place in the provinces, said Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Ameer Sirajul Haq on Saturday.


Addressing a press briefing at JI provincial headquarters Markaz-e-Islami, Haq urged the K-P government to hold LG elections on a priority basis without wasting any more time. He asked the government to remove any and all hurdles in the way of transferring power to the grassroots.

“Polio has taken the shape of an outbreak in the province and the number of infected children rises every day,” said Haq. He blamed the government’s “indifferent attitude” as one of the reasons behind the increasing polio cases.

“It is shameful that we have to present a polio certificate along with our passport whenever we travel abroad,” said the leader.

Suggesting solutions 

Speaking about the current political crisis in the country due to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Awami Tehreek’s (PAT) protests in the federal capital, Haq said the decision to hold mid-term elections depends on the federal government’s performance.

“Democracy is the only way through which a party can come into power,” said Haq.

The political impasse and all issues between the opposing sides can be resolved through dialogue, added the JI ameer.

The leader said PAT’s demand of an enquiry into the Model Town incident was constitutional, however, he chose to remain silent about the PTI’s demands and the issue of PTI lawmakers’ resignation from the National Assembly.

Commenting on the political jirga formed to resolve the political crisis, Haq said it has done its job in a remarkable manner and will continue its efforts after Eid.

Imran Khan is creating political awareness through public meetings which is good for democracy, while Tahirul Qadri has also announced he will participate in the democratic process.This can be considered the jirga’s success, the JI ameer added.

Haq said all political parties need to adopt a culture of democracy to bring durable peace and stability in the country to benefits its citizens.

Plight of the displaced 

The former finance minister also spoke about the various issues faced by internally displaced people (IDP) from North Waziristan.

“Nearly 85% of the agency has been cleared by the security forces, however, no steps have been taken to repatriate the displaced tribesmen,” stated Haq.

More than 1.1 million IDPs have been living in K-P since the military offensive began in June. They have sacrificed everything and left their homes for the sake of peace but now they have run out of patience and want to go home, he said, adding the government had disappointed the tribesmen.

Due to the political turmoil, IPDs have been pushed to the background, therefore JI has decided to hold a representative jirga of IDPs on October 9 to highlight their problems.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 5th, 2014.]]>
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			<title>Provincial govts should complete LB elections preparations by Aug15: SC</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/580411/provincial-govts-should-complete-lb-elections-preparations-by-aug15-supreme-court</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/580411/provincial-govts-should-complete-lb-elections-preparations-by-aug15-supreme-court#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 22 Jul 13 17:23:01 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[mudassir.raja]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=580411</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[ECP says it needs at least 90 days after the request of provincial govts to arrange elections.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The Supreme Court on Monday directed all provincial governments and the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration to complete their legal preparations with respect to local bodies elections by August 15. 

It further added that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) should have the elections arranged by September 15.

“Governments of Punjab, Sindh, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and ICT administration are allowed to complete the process of promulgating new laws and initiate the delimitation process to ensure early holding of local bodies elections," said a three-judge Supreme court bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.

The bench comprised of Justice Jawwad S Khwaja and Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed.

It observed that the elections need to be held in order to enable the general public to participate in good governance.

Director General Elections ECP, Sher Afgan apprised the bench of the legal requirement which states that the commission needs to be given at least 90 days to hold elections after provincial government's request.

Afgan said that in normal course the ECP needed 60 days to hold general elections while in the case of assemblies dissolving, they would require 90 days.

However, Advocate General Punjab Mustafa Ramday said that the provincial government only needed between two to three weeks.

AG Sindh Khalid Javaid said that Sindh government would also be prepared but opined that it would be better if they were given time till December 31, 2013.

The governments of Balochistan and K-P had given their consents earlier and sought a definite date from the ECP.

Deputy Attorney General Sajid Ilyas Bhatti representing ICT administration said the federal government was ready to hold LB polls in the rural areas of the capital but needed amendments in local government act 1979 to hold elections in urban areas of Islamabad.]]>
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			<title>‘Better governance’: SC moved for local govt elections</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/579368/better-governance-sc-moved-for-local-govt-elections</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/579368/better-governance-sc-moved-for-local-govt-elections#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 19 Jul 13 21:32:08 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[our.correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Sindh]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=579368</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Petitioner pleads that court direct provincial election commission, chief secretary to immediately announce schedule.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[As the provincial bureaucracy seeks delays in local bodies’ elections, the Supreme Court has been asked to direct the Sindh government to announce a schedule immediately.


Rana Faizul Hasan, the general secretary of the United Human Rights Commission, went to the court against the provincial chief secretary, the provincial election commissioner and the secretaries of finance, local government and home departments.

He argued that it is binding on the authorities to form governments at district, taluka, town and union councils level by holding local bodies elections, under articles 32 and 140(A) of the Constitution, but they are not serious in conducting this exercise in Sindh. The Sindh High Court, while deciding a similar petition on May 18, 2010, had ordered the government to hold these elections within 90 days but the government had appealed against this order in the SC, which had upheld the high court order, Hasan pointed out.

He claimed that the Sindh government had not implemented the order despite the fact that the general elections had been held and voters’ lists were also available.

He pleaded the court direct the provincial election commission and the chief secretary to immediately announce the schedule. The court is also requested to bind them to conduct elections either under the Sindh Local Government Ordinance of 1979 or SLGO 2000, he requested.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 20th, 2013.]]>
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			<title>Sindh govt seeks 6 months time to hold LB elections: Qaim Ali Shah</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/578970/sindh-govt-seeks-6-months-to-hold-lb-elections-qaim-ali-shah</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/578970/sindh-govt-seeks-6-months-to-hold-lb-elections-qaim-ali-shah#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 18 Jul 13 19:24:36 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[web.desk]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=578970</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[The situation in Lyari is no longer administrative, says Qaim Ali Shah.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Following the Supreme Court's order earlier on Thursday to hold local bodies elections in September, Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah said that they needed six months time to hold local bodies elections, Radio Pakistan reported. 

Addressing media officials at a dinner in Karachi, he said that the Sindh government will request the Supreme Court for more time to hold the elections. He added that holding local bodies elections was the responsibility of the provinces.

Shah's Pakistan Peoples Party has been at loggerheads over a local bodies election with other parties from Sindh when it first came to power in 2008. Earlier this year, the government, having seen the back of their long term coalition partners, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, reinstated its preferred local government system of 1979 and had in its election campaign promised local body elections.

After being re-elected, it implemented the local government system, but has yet to conduct local body elections.

Lyari Unrest

Responding to a question about the situation in Lyari, he said that the issue is no longer an administrative one but has become political.

Earlier in the week, Shah had said that the government was consulting various stakeholders and recording statements of elected representatives, politicians, notables and social workers of the area.

"The initial findings point towards a 'bhatta mafia' and political motives as the reason behind the unrest," Shah had said.]]>
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			<title>Older times: MQM rejects 1979 local bodies system, calls the move ‘undemocratic’</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/571568/older-times-mqm-rejects-1979-local-bodies-system-calls-the-move-undemocratic</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/571568/older-times-mqm-rejects-1979-local-bodies-system-calls-the-move-undemocratic#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 02 Jul 13 21:23:21 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[our.correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Sindh]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=571568</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[MQM’s Kunwar Jamil demands the system in place during Musharraf’s era.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Rejecting the 1979 local bodies system implemented by the Sindh government, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement demanded the system that was in place during Musharraf’s era.

The members of the party’s Rabita Committee held a press briefing on Tuesday to condemn the new system. MQM member Kunwar Naveed Jamil called this move by the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) undemocratic and unjust. “The Sindh government has snatched the rights of the people,” he said. “The PPP has shown its feudal side as it does not want the issues of the common people to be addressed.”

Jamil pointed out that in the previous government’s regime, a clause was added in article 140 of the Constitution, which said that each province shall by law establish a local government system and devolve its political, financial and administrative responsibilities to it. By enforcing the 1979 system, the government has, however, made a mockery of the constitution, he added.



The political powers of the local bodies have been curtailed since the municipal councils will have to seek the approval of the commissioner for everything, he explained.

Under the new system, the provincial financial commission - which was responsible for handling the finances of institutions, schools, playgrounds, hospitals and clinics belonging to the local government - will stop functioning and the money will now go to the Sindh government, he added. Reverting to the old systems means that local government institutions have no administrative rights or money, which has turned cities across Sindh into garbage dumps, he said.

Colonial roots

The party which has been critical of the UK since its chief Altaf Hussain admitted to raids by the Scotland Yard, attacked the country once again during the press conference.  The local bodies system of 1979 was, in fact, introduced by the British in their colonies in the sub-continent in a bid to make the locals their slaves, Jamil told the media.

Even though the Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz had its differences with General (retd) Pervez Musharraf, it stuck to the local government system of 2001 in the Punjab since it realised it is a good system, Jamil pointed out. The MQM will raise this issue in the parliament and take legal action, if needed, he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 3rd, 2013.]]>
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			<title>MQM rejects 1979 local government system in Sindh</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/571377/mqm-rejects-1979-local-government-system-in-sindh</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/571377/mqm-rejects-1979-local-government-system-in-sindh#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 02 Jul 13 12:51:59 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[rabia.ali]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Sindh]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=571377</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[MQM, when it was a coalition party in previous regime, forced Sindh government to implement LGS, says party leader.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) on Tuesday rejected the revival of local government system 1979 in Sindh. The announcement was made during a press conference in Karachi.

Condemning the move, Kunwar Naveed of the Rabita Committee at a press conference, demanded the Sindh government to bring back the 2001 local goverment system. “By enforcing the 1979 system, the PPP has taken away the rights of the representatives of the common people and left the people at the mercy of commissioners and deputy commissioners.”

He said that the through the local system of the Zia regime, the administrative, financial and political rights of the local body authorities has been snatched by the Sindh government.

Karachi, Hyderabad and other cities have become garbage dumps as the authorities don't have money to pay to their workers, he added.

Voicing their demand, Naveed said they want the 2001 system to be in place so that Sindh is divided into city, town and union councils, and through nazims and UC heads, the problems of the people are addressed and their issues are resolved.

He said that they would raise this issue in the parliament and take legal course.

“The politicians are not in favour of common people getting elected in these local government bodies and solving the problems of their region,” said the MQM leader.

“The local government system was first introduced by Ayub Khan, then Ziaul Haq in 1979, followed by Pervez Musharraf in 2001. Ironically, the LGS law was always imposed by the dictators but the democratically elected assembly never took the step of implementing this law.”

Lauding the role of MQM in this respect, he said that, “MQM, when it was a coalition party in the previous regime, forced the Sindh government to implement LGS. Though the system was not serving the people like MQM wanted, but the party thought that something is better than nothing.”

Almost four months after the Sindh government had revived the 1979 local government system, it formally enacted the law on Monday.

The Pakistan Peoples Party government restored the five administrative districts of Karachi and their municipal corporations, scrapping the town systems in the city in the process.

The town municipal administration and the post of Town Municipal Officer (TMOs) were also abolished.]]>
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			</item><item>
			<title>Sindh brings back 1979 local government system</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/571161/sindh-brings-back-1979-local-government-system</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/571161/sindh-brings-back-1979-local-government-system#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 01 Jul 13 20:46:27 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[our.correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Sindh]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=571161</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[The town municipal administration and the post of Town Municipal Officer (TMOs) have also been abolished.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Almost four months after the Sindh government had revived the 1979 local government system, it formally enacted the law on Monday.

The Pakistan Peoples Party government restored the five administrative districts of Karachi and their municipal corporations, scrapping the town systems in the city in the process.

The town municipal administration and the post of Town Municipal Officer (TMOs) have also been abolished.

All five deputy commissioners in Karachi have been made in-charge of municipal services of their respective districts instead of administrators who were earlier running towns.

Speaking to media, secretary local government Ali Ahmed Lund said the PPP led government had revived the LG 1979 during its last tenure, but it was not implemented. He said the matters pertaining to local government were running under ad hoc basis.

“Since transitional period of this ad hoc law came to end on June 30 (Sunday), the old local government 1979 for which the assembly has already made the legislation automatically is implemented in the whole province.”]]>
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			<title>Local government elections under modified 1979 law: Sharjeel Memon</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/560707/local-government-elections-under-modified-1979-law-sharjeel-memon</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/560707/local-government-elections-under-modified-1979-law-sharjeel-memon#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 08 Jun 13 16:44:14 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[our.correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Sindh]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=560707</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Sindh Information Minister says they will take up MQM's greiviances up with the Governor once he reutrns.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Memon on Saturday said that the provincial government is contemplating holding local government elections.

"They will be held at an appropriate time soon under the 1979 system," he told reporters.

The Sindh government, that was in power for the previous five years, had tussled with which law to follow for the local government. It had flitted between the 2002 law for local government and the 1979 administrative setup before promulgating the Sindh Local Government Act 2012 last year despite protests from some corners. However, in the last days of government before the elections, it had repealed the law and reverted to the 1979 local administration set up.

On Saturday Memon clarified that the 1979 law will be amended in consultation will all the political stakeholders before local body elections are held. The Pakistan Peoples Party, Memon said, was open to consultation with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf and the PML-Functional on the matter.

"Certain amendments will be made in the law to make it more representative."

Earlier this week, the former Sindh Assembly Speaker Nisar Khuhro had hinted that local government elections could be held under the 1979 system.

Memon rejects MQM allegations of racism

The information minister said the PPP government has reservations on the statement of MQM chief Altaf Hussain that the Urdu speaking community has been kept out of the power sharing.

"All the people who live in Pakistan are Pakistanis and those who live in Sindh are Sindhis. We don't believe in racism."

Memon said the PPP will take up this matter with Governor Sindh Dr Ishratul Ebad when he returns from his foreign visit.

The Information minister also hit out at those trying to infringe on their mandate.

"If someone tries to bulldoze the mandate of the people of Sindh, then the people of Sindh are not wearing bangles."]]>
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			<title>SHC seeks record of SC decision to dismiss govt’s plea against local bodies elections</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/550864/shc-seeks-record-of-sc-decision-to-dismiss-govts-plea-against-local-bodies-elections</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/550864/shc-seeks-record-of-sc-decision-to-dismiss-govts-plea-against-local-bodies-elections#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 18 May 13 01:44:14 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[our.correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Sindh]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=550864</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Another petitioner has gone to court seeking elections.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The Sindh High Court (SHC) directed on Friday a petitioner seeking local bodies elections to place on record an order passed by the apex court regarding the matter.

Chief Justice Mushir Alam, while heading the bench, passed this direction while hearing two identical petitions which wanted the provincial government to hold local bodies elections. Rana Faizul Hasan, United Human Rights Commission of Pakistan’s general secretary, said local governments had been dissolved but elections had not been held since two years.

He pleaded the high court to direct officials, including the provincial chief secretary, to hold elections under the Local Governments Ordinance 1979 and Sindh Local Governments Ordinance 2001.

The judges noted that another bench of the high court had heard a similar petition.

Former district nazim Dr Rahila Magsi had challenged the inaction on the part of provincial government in holding local government elections in 2010. Back then, the high court had ordered for the elections to be conducted within 90 days under the Articles 32 and 140-A of the constitution.



Through this order passed on May 18, 2012, the court had also directed the election commission to compile electoral lists to enable the government to hold the polls within the stipulated time.

While hearing the latest petition, the judges said the controversy already stands decided by the decision given on the petition filed by Dr Magsi. “Order passed in the above noted constitutional petition shall also apply in this petition as well,” said the judges.

But the provincial law officer Miran Muhammad Shah pointed out that the provincial government had challenged this order in the Supreme Court. Hasan, however, told the high court that the apex court had dismissed the government’s plea.

Adjourning the hearing, the bench directed the petitioner to place on record the order, if any, passed by the apex court in this regard by the next date.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 18th, 2013.]]>
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			<title>Sindh after the SPLGA</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/520244/sindh-after-the-splga</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/520244/sindh-after-the-splga#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 13 Mar 13 17:34:18 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[naseer.memon]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Opinion]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=520244</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Credible local bodies system that manages resources and authority can tap the unharnessed potential of the province.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Impregnated with ethnic strife, the Sindh Peoples Local Government Act (SPLGA) created an unprecedented anti-PPP sentiment in its stronghold, Sindh. Proceedings of the Supreme Court, hearing a petition seeking annulment of the law, were indicative of an inclement outcome for the government. The recent experience of by-elections also sent waves of consternation in the ruling camp as its candidates faced pillories from opponents and disgruntled masses on the same law. All these factors constrained the PPP to cajole its ally to rescind the politically incendiary law. The belated adieu by the MQM to the government is viewed as an overtly cosmetic move under a premeditated script. On the day that acting governor of Sindh, Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, signed to repeal the SPLGA, the Karachi Stock Exchange recorded bonanza business — unimaginable if it was not a mock war between the two parties. Nevertheless, the interment of a divisive law averted a lurking ethnic frenzy in the province, already mired with unremitting violence, especially in Karachi.

In the presence of this law, the next general elections could have been a nightmare for the PPP in Sindh. Although the opposition has been disarmed of its would-be most popular slogan of divisive law, the lacklustre performance of the PPP during the past five years has sufficiently exasperated its voters. Rampant corruption, brazen violation of merit in postings and transfers, displacement of several million flood affectees, substandard quality of social sector services, ubiquitous lawlessness, shabby infrastructure and scruffy towns can provide ample ammunition for the election campaign of opposition parties. For the PPP, the past platitude of victimisation and martyrdom of the Bhuttos has lost its lustre to fascinate the masses this time. Portending this ominous fact, the party has embarked upon a medley of actions, including cajoling feudal lords in Sindh.

This cacophony of political manoeuvring, however, does not obviate the need for a viable local bodies system in Sindh. Both parties cannot be absolved for their failure in providing an amicable solution to this conundrum during their five-year rule. An ethnically polarised province needs a local bodies system that can bridge ethnic divide in the province and guarantee quality service delivery to all residents. While the SPLGA was a flawed arrangement, the 1979 Sindh Local Bodies Ordinance is not an ideal choice, either, and needs to be supplanted by a more amicable and workable system of service delivery. Any party that takes reins of the province after the next elections should initiate a dialogue among the people of Sindh to develop consensus on a local bodies system that can devolve powers and resources without clenching them in the fist of any single entity. Creating islands of prosperity in the ocean of impoverishment would culminate in an endless turmoil.

The Eighteenth Amendment promised more resources and powers for provinces. Sindh should also have reaped some benefits but the truncated execution of the amendment and machinations of bureaucracy have forestalled the same. A credible local bodies system that guarantees prudent management of resources and a fair exercise of authority can tap the unharnessed potential of the province to create development opportunities for all residents without watering ethnic acrimonies in the province.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 14th, 2013.]]>
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			<title>All patched up: ANP announces return to treasury benches in Sindh</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/513746/all-patched-up-anp-announces-return-to-treasury-benches-in-sindh</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/513746/all-patched-up-anp-announces-return-to-treasury-benches-in-sindh#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 27 Feb 13 23:42:02 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[our.correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Sindh]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=513746</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[ANP's only minister in the Sindh government, Ameer Nawab, will return to the Ministry of Labour.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Six months after parting ways with government, the Awami National Party (ANP) rejoined the coalition government in Sindh on Wednesday. 
The decision was taken during meeting held at Chief Minister House. The meeting was attended by Agha Siraj Durrani, Muhammad Ayaz Soomro and Rashid Rabbani of PPP and Rana Gul Afridi, Ameer Nawab and Younis Buneri of ANP.
The ANP had announced in September that they will discontinue to sit on the treasury benches in Sindh over the government's decision to promulgate the Sindh Peoples Local Government Ordinance 2012. The ANP, however, had retained its alliance with the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) in the central government. 
“We parted ways with PPP government over the issue of SPLGO 2012. Since government has repealed the system and revived the SLGO 1979, we feel our concerns have now been redressed, therefore we are rejoining government,” the ANP's sole minister Ameer Nawab said after the meeting at the Chief Minister house on Wednesday. He added that he would soon rejoin his portfolio as labour minister.

After the ANP had parted ways with the PPP last September, its two MPAs, Ameer Nawab and Amanullah Mehsud, had been demanding they sit on opposition benches. The government though only allotted an opposition seat to Mehsud and asked Nawab was asked to sit on the treasury bench since he held a minister's portfolio.

Following Wednesday's patch up, both ANP members will now sit on the treasury benches.

Minister for Local Government Agha Siraj Durrani while talking to media congratulated the ANP leadership on behalf of President Asif Ali Zardari and Chief Minister Sindh Syed Qaim Ali Shah, and hoped that the ANP and PPP will work together for the the larger interest of the country.]]>
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			<title>Notification issued: Municipal system restored in Sindh</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/513545/notification-issued-municipal-system-restored-in-sindh</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/513545/notification-issued-municipal-system-restored-in-sindh#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 27 Feb 13 18:00:20 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[web.desk]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Sindh]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=513545</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Karachi Municipal Corporation and district councils in the province have been restored.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Having repealed the Sindh Local Government Act last week and restored the 1979 municipal system, the  Sindh government on Wednesday issued the notification to formally revive the old system for governing cities, Express News reported.

Sindh Local Bodies Minister Agha Siraj Durrani said that the Karachi Municipal Corporation and district councils in the province have been restored, Radio Pakistan reported.

Durrani said that the local government institutions established under Peoples Local Government Act have been abolished.

Last week, the ruling party MPAs voted back in the 1979 municipal set-up since the Muttahida Qaumi Movement had walked out as a coalition partner.

The acting governor Nisar Khuhro signed the new bill in to law.

Immediately afterwards a flurry of transfers and postings had started with the KMC administrator among the ones to get the axe.]]>
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			<title>Electoral Angst: ‘SPLGA withdrawal a defeat of the govt’</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/511770/electoral-angst-splga-withdrawal-a-defeat-of-the-govt</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/511770/electoral-angst-splga-withdrawal-a-defeat-of-the-govt#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 24 Feb 13 00:46:22 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[ppi]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Sindh]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=511770</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Bhutto prophesied that the Muttahida Qaumi Movement and the Pakistan Peoples Party will unite again after elections.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Withdrawing Sindh People’s Local Government Act (SPLGA) is a big defeat for the present government, said a leader of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Mumtaz Ali Bhutto, on Saturday.


“It is part of a conspiracy to win the next general elections in Sindh,” he claimed. Bhutto prophesied that the Muttahida Qaumi Movement and the Pakistan Peoples Party will unite again after the elections. The high turnout in the recent public meeting of PML-N in Naudero indicates that the the people are fed up with the present government, he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 24th, 2013.]]>
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			<title>Election season: Voters ask leaders what they have to show for their five years</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/511768/election-season-voters-ask-leaders-what-they-have-to-show-for-their-five-years</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/511768/election-season-voters-ask-leaders-what-they-have-to-show-for-their-five-years#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 24 Feb 13 00:24:10 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Hafeez Tunio]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Sindh]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=511768</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[People complain that their elected representatives paid no attention to their problems.]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me - this is the message voters of the 2008 elections have for their elected representatives, saying they refuse to be duped again by the leaders who reportedly have not paid any attention to their constituencies. 


The ‘new and improved’ development works and condolence visits to grieving families signal the beginning of the election season. New promises are being made and old ones are being renewed but it appears that voters will let the politicians’ track record do the talking this time around - making the job of garnering votes more difficult for them.



“We do not want jobs for our family members, only clean water and a sanitation scheme which we have repeatedly been requesting our elected representative to provide during his tenure,” said Anwar Jokhio, a social activist of Darsano Chano Union Council of the Malir district. He was complaining against their MPA Sajid Jokhio and MNA Sher Muhammad Baloch from the Pakistan Peoples Party. “Our elected representatives have not even bothered to visit us during the last five years but now, suddenly they’ve been coming to the area to monitor the roads being carpeted - it is an obvious tactic to appease the people and get votes in the upcoming election.”

During a random survey of ten constituencies in Karachi and other districts of Sindh, most people complained that they have hardly seen their elected representatives after the 2008 general election. The MPAs, however, insist that they remained in touch with their voters and resolved their problems.

It remains unclear whether political parties will allot the same tickets to the incumbent legislators but the representatives appear to be confident that they will contest elections again - thus leading to the recently started development works, including road and street carpeting, renovation of playgrounds and parks, and starting public gatherings and corner meetings.



For his part, MPA Sajid Jokhio, who is also the minister for Zakat, said they he was constantly in touch with the people of his area and visited his constituency frequently to resolve the problems of his voters. “I have spent around Rs60 million in my area this year, but the health department does not come under my domain so that I could not start a vaccination campaign to prevent hepatitis,” said Sajid. He added that not only roads were built during his time, but he also made multiple schemes for water and sanitation and playgrounds for residents.

Still waiting 

The residents of Akhtar Colony and Kashmir Colony say that they have been protesting every week against the shortage of drinking water.

According to Rizwan Gill, the general secretary of the Akhtar Colony Residents Association, the people have visited their town office to meet MPA Rauf Siddiqui and MNA Waseem Akhtar of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement a number of times - but have been given a new excuse every time. “Following our protest, we met Waseem Akhtar and briefed him on the pathetic situation of our areas” said Gill. “He promised visit but we are still waiting for him.”

When contacted, Waseem Akhtar’s only reply was “Our party is working without discrimination in the city. Being parliamentarians, our prime role is to make the law which I am doing.”

The same complaints poured in from Jhol and Khipro of Sanghar district - people complained that they have not seen their MPAs Rana Abdul Sattar and Shamsudin Rajar of Pakistan Muslim League-Functional since the last elections. But both the MPAs, who are preparing to contest the upcoming election from the same seats, claim otherwise.

The residents of Thorhi Bijar have been waiting for the main road, which links to Kamber Town, to be fixed since 1985. “During every election campaign, we repeat our demand for fixing the road, but all in vain. Out of the three lawmakers, PPP MPAs Ghulam Mujadid Isran and Nadir Magsi, and MNA Amir Magi, not a single has visited during the present tenure,” said Inamul Haq, who teaches literature at Kamber College.

Isran, when asked about the poor condition of roads and the villages deprived of electricity, water and sanitation facilities, said “Let me win the election again. I will all remaining issues.”

Published in The Express Tribune, February 24th, 2013.]]>
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			<title>[In]decisive action: With Ebad away, acting governor signs in old municipal set-up</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/511184/indecisive-action-with-ebad-away-acting-governor-signs-in-old-municipal-set-up</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/511184/indecisive-action-with-ebad-away-acting-governor-signs-in-old-municipal-set-up#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 22 Feb 13 21:18:52 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Hafeez Tunio]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Sindh]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=511184</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Towns to cease to exist yet again under the six metropolitan corporations.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[For the sixth time since 2011, the government has changed its mind on how Sindh’s cities are to be goverened.
On Thursday, the ruling party MPAs voted back in the 1979 municipal set-up since the Muttahida Qaumi Movement had walked out as a coalition partner. The only thing left was the governor’s signature to make it official.

It helped that Governor Ishratul Ebad took off for London. This made Sindh Assembly Speaker Nisar Khuhro acting governor. And on Friday, he did the honours to sign the new bill in to law.

The ink had barely dried on the paper when the flurry of transfers and postings began in the Services and General Administration and Local Bodies departments.

Many political observers are skeptical of these political developments that began with the MQM breaking its alliance with the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party on February 17. They suspect all these developments are a result of a tacit understanding between the two political parties to help each other regain credibility in urban and rural Sindh.

Either way, the bill signing took place in a ceremony at Governor House, attended by provincial ministers including local government minister Agha Siraj Durrani, information minister Sharjeel Memon and law minister Ayaz Soomro. “The towns under the six metropolitan corporations will be dissolved,” said Durrani. “The government will issue notifications very soon.”

Memon said that the law came into effect immediately. Law Secretary Ghulam Nabi Shah explained that a bill passed by the provincial assembly cannot become an act until the governor gives his consent.

Mending fences?

It is safe to venture that Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad Khan left for the United Kingdom on Friday to meet MQM chief Altaf Hussain due to the recent turmoil after the government withdrew the Sindh Peoples Local Government Act 2012.

According to a Governor House spokesperson, however, Khan has gone to Dubai to meet his family and will return in two to three days.

Other reports suggested that the governor left on the directive of his party and would tender his resignation following the differences between the PPP and MQM on the local government issue. The MQM and the public relations office at Governor House did not confirm or deny the reports. “I can not comment further but the difference on the local government will soon take a logical turn,” said MQM leader Faisal Subzwari.

Mixed feelings

Hundreds of supporters of the Pakistan Muslim League-Functional held a rally in Mirpurkhas on Friday to celebrate government’s decision to repeal the SPLGA 2012. PML-F leaders Sarfaraz, Masroor Baig, Malik Abdur Razak and Majeed Soomro said that the end of the SPLGA is a victory for Sindh and Pir Pagaro.

Law Minister Ayaz Soomro shared the same enthusiasm and said that the SPLGA was withdrawn after considering the views of people, scholars, intellectuals and political workers of Sindh. “The PPP is a public party and the legislation made in Sindh Assembly is as per the wishes of people.”
The Co-ordination Comm-ittee of MQM, however, condemned the withdrawal of the SPLGA 2012 and adoption of the old local bodies system of 1979.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 23rd, 2013.]]>
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			<title>Opposition leader: MQM nominates Sardar Ahmed</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/511185/opposition-leader-mqm-nominates-sardar-ahmed</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/511185/opposition-leader-mqm-nominates-sardar-ahmed#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 22 Feb 13 21:13:35 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[our.correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Sindh]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=511185</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Around 20 MPAs of the party were signatories on the application.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The Muttahida Qaumi Movement has finally nominated its parliamentary leader, Syed Sardar Ahmed, for the slot of the opposition leader in Sindh Assembly on Friday.


An MQM delegation, led by Faisal Subzwari and Dr Sagheer Ahmed, submitted the application to the Sindh Assembly secretary, adding said their party was the second largest party in the assembly with 50 MPAs and since they have decided to sit on the opposition benches, their candidate should be appointed opposition leader.
Around 20 MPAs of the party were signatories on the application. Subzwari called the government’s decision to repeal the SPLGA 2012 “an irrational move”. He vowed to continue the movement against the decision, saying “It is our democratic right to protest against the recent legislation and we will fight it through different platforms.”
Published in The Express Tribune, February 23rd, 2013.]]>
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			<title>Local doings</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/511104/local-doings</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/511104/local-doings#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 22 Feb 13 19:15:20 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[editorial]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category><category><![CDATA[Editorial]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=511104</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[PPP, its electoral candidates will hope that wiping away the law will benefit in some way, help get support in Sindh.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Within days of parting ways with the MQM at both the centre and the province, the PPP government has repealed the controversial Sindh Peoples’ Local Government Ordinance passed last year and restored the system of local government previously in place, i.e., the Sindh Local Government Ordinance of 1979. The law had, of course, been pushed through because of MQM support, with many being of the view that this was one of the conditions set by the party to remain in the ruling coalition.

The law had, of course, raised a furore the moment it was rather hastily put through the provincial assembly, with some members of the PPP itself fiercely opposing it. This is easily understood, given that the law, which benefits the MQM with city district governments restored in urban areas, is fiercely opposed in rural Sindh — where the PPP’s base of power lies. There had been protests from Sindhi nationalist groups over the law and there were several attacks on PPP leaders and legislators believed to be connected to the matter. This alone reflects the existing depth of anger that lay within Sindh over what was seen as an act of betrayal by the PPP government.

The party will now, of course, be hoping that the repeal of the law can help it regain lost ground in a province that it considers its home turf. But the question that arises is whether things have been left too late. While the removal of the law will be welcomed by many, comments have already come in on the PPP’s actions. Some argue that, as was done before, the PPP could once again bring in this or similar laws on grounds of political expediency, and that it has shown a complete disregard for principle. This view will not be an easy one for the PPP to challenge at this point. But the party and its electoral candidates will still be hoping that the wiping away of the law will benefit it in at least some way, and help it at a time when it desperately needs support in Sindh.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 23rd, 2013.]]>
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			<title>Government repeals Sindh local government act, MQM protests</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/510520/government-repeals-sindh-local-government-act-mqm-protests</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/510520/government-repeals-sindh-local-government-act-mqm-protests#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 21 Feb 13 09:13:48 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[web.desk]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=510520</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[The Act's demise follows MQM's exit from the ruling coalition.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Sindh Law Minister Ayaz Soomro announced on Thursday that the government was withdrawing the Sindh Peoples Local Government Act 2012 (SPLGA) during a Sindh Assembly proceeding , Express News reported .

The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) members staged an in-house protest after the law minister made the announcement.

“If the SPLGA 2012 was meant to bring prosperity to the people of Sindh at that time [when the government passed it], then why is it not prosperous now?” MQM leader Faisal Sabzwari questioned while speaking to the media.

The SPLGA, which was passed by the Sindh Assembly on October 1, 2012, had been a major source of contention between the PPP-led coalition government and various nationalist groups in Sindh.

The law had envisaged six powerful metropolitan corporations in the province.
It was opposed by Sindhi leaders who called it a “dual system” which would create greater ethnic divides in Sindh. It was feared that the law would allow the mayors of the two cities to be given the same powers enjoyed by a chief minister.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F) and Awami National Party and the National Peoples Party (NPP) left the coalition after the ordinance was first passed.

The 1979 Local Government Ordinance law will now come into effect.

The SPLGA was passed by the Sindh Assembly last year and was vehemently opposed by nationalist parties.

The ordinance was prepared after strong negotiations between Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the MQM.

Timeline

July 9 , 2011: Acting Governor Khuhro, Nisar Ahmed Khuhro restored the local government ordinance 1979 by repealing SLGO 2001 following a political row between PPP and MQM on Dr Mirza’s statements.

August 6,   2011: Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad Khan promulgated an ordinance restoring SLGO 2001 in Karachi and Hyderabad by keeping SLGO 1979 along with commissionerate system intact in other districts of Sindh.

August 8, 2011: Governor restored the SLGO 2001 in entire Sindh following criticism that it was an effort to divide Sindh.

November 4,  2011: The Sindh Local Government Ordinance (SLGO) 2001 issued (for 90 days) by Governor Sindh on November 4 lapsed because both the coalition partners PPP and MQM failed to evolve consensus and bring the ordinance in Sindh Assembly. Automatically, the 1979 system was restored.

Sept 7, 2012:  Governor Sindh signed “Sindh Local Government Ordinance 2012”.]]>
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			<title>SPLGO: Courts evaluate laws in accordance with Constitution, says CJP</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/503501/splgo-courts-evaluate-laws-in-accordance-with-constitution-says-cjp</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/503501/splgo-courts-evaluate-laws-in-accordance-with-constitution-says-cjp#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 06 Feb 13 16:01:24 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category><category><![CDATA[Sindh]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=503501</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Chief Justice says the court has no concern with what goes on inside the assembly.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry on Wednesday said that the provincial assemblies have the powers to legislate and it was the court's responsibility to evaluate that the laws were made in accordance with the Constitution.

Heading a three-member bench which is hearing a constitutional petition moved by Zameer Hussain Ghumro over the Sindh Peoples Local Government Act,  the Chief Justice drew attention of the petitioner's counsel towards the challenge thrown to legislation saying that the issue brought before the court pertained to the Act and not the Ordinance.

The counsel argued that the Act was ultra vires to the Constitution and should be declared as void.

To a bench's query of a precedent where the court had declared similar legislation as unconstitutional, the counsel referred to annulled National Reconciliation Ordinance, which was declared as non-est by the apex Court during 2009.

The Chief Justice told him that a two-month timeframe was granted for undoing the piece of unlawful legislation and when it was not approved by the Parliament, ultimately discarding it, the court then declared it as void.

The Chief Justice told the counsel that the court was not concerned with what was going inside an assembly.

The Additional Prosecutor General Sindh also apprised the court that Sindh Advocate General Abdul Fatah Malik could not turn up since he was appearing before a bench in Karachi Registry Branch in law and order case.

The bench adjourned further hearing till February 12.]]>
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			<title>Stirring the hornet’s nest: Altaf’s speech upsets nationalists</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/492755/stirring-the-hornet%e2%80%99s-nest-altaf%e2%80%99s-speech-upsets-nationalists</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/492755/stirring-the-hornet%e2%80%99s-nest-altaf%e2%80%99s-speech-upsets-nationalists#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 12 Jan 13 00:22:59 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[our.correspondent]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[Sindh]]></category>
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				<![CDATA[Nationalist parties have vehemently opposed the SPLGA, which was passed by the Sindh Assembly last year.]]>
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				<![CDATA[Muttahida Qaumi Movement chief Altaf Hussain’s remarks on Thursday on creating a separate province for Urdu-speaking people stirred Sindhi nationalists into outrage.


Hussain had claimed on Thursday that if the new local government system faced any hurdles, the party may demand a separate province for ‘Urdu-speaking Sindhis’.

“If the establishment caved in to MQM’s blackmailing, we [the nationalists] will call for Sindh’s independence,” said Dr Qadir Magsi, chairperson of the Sindh Taraqi Pasand Party. Nationalist parties have vehemently opposed the Sindh Peoples Local Government Act (SPLGA), which was passed by the Sindh Assembly last year. The new system also led to the Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F), Awami National Party and the National Peoples Party to leave the ruling coalition in the province. In a press conference on Friday, Magsi criticised Hussain for drawing a similarity between his British citizenship and that of Muhammad Ali Jinnah. “GM Syed and Bacha Khan were declared traitors when they disagreed with Quaid-i-Azam over some political matters. Why isn’t that label given to [Hussain] now,” asked Magsi.

Speech directed at PPP 

Sindh Assembly opposition leader MPA Nusrat Sehar Abbassi told The Express Tribune that Altaf Hussain’s threat of campaigning for a separate province was directed at the ruling party, which, he claimed, had recently suggested making amendments to the new local government system.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 12th, 2013.

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