The fruits of devolution will not reach the people if local bodies elections are not held within the proper time frame
ISLAMABAD: Owing to the endless crises in our country, some important issues disappeared from the public discourse such as the case of local bodies elections. Surprisingly, Balochistan, which was considered prone to law and order problems, has taken the lead over other provinces. Similarly, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, which is bearing the brunt of terror attacks and their consequences, has also shown some activity.
However, the most developed and stable provinces, Punjab and Sindh, have shown no such activities and the reason is obvious — a possible push-up by the other parties is preying on their nerves. Even those parties who swore to democratic transition have shown no such commitment.
Although the Supreme Court has ordered to complete polls before November 15, but in reality, it does not look feasible, as polls are not among their priorities. No doubt big projects like motorways, flyovers and Metro buses are important, but civic solutions to peoples’ problems are sine qua non. Without third-tier, the fruits of devolution will not reach the people if polls are not held within the proper time frame. People want their problems solved at the local level and lack of a representative government at the local level is creating a new plethora of problems.
Muhammad Wajid Munir
Published in The Express Tribune, July 21st, 2014.
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