LG reps announce strike over funds

Lament stoppage of money after PTI loss in polls

PESHAWAR:

Local government representatives in Peshawar have declared a complete strike starting Tuesday due to the lack of funds. Municipal offices will be forcibly locked to enforce the strike.

A meeting chaired by Deputy Convener Malik Tariq, with a large attendance of local bodies representatives, was convened in Peshawar. Participants expressed frustration over the denial of funds and authority by the government, hindering them from fulfilling their duties despite public expectations.

“Local government elections occurred two years ago, yet the provincial government has failed to allocate funds,” they lamented. Additionally, they highlighted the cessation of their monthly honorarium and office rents, exacerbating their predicament.

Last December, local government representatives in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) announced a sit-in outside the Chief Minister’s Secretariat to protest the withholding of funds from village and neighborhood councils.

Speaking at a press conference held at the Peshawar Press Club, they had voiced concern over the provincial government’s two-year policy of withholding funds from local governments and denying them the authority to undertake development activities.

“The absence of funds and powers hinders the resolution of grassroots-level issues, leading to questioning of the rationale behind electing local government representatives,” they had lamented.

The press conference was attended by Tehsil Chairman Dir Upper, Lakki Marwat, Chairman Village Council Tarakha, Taimur Kamal, Chairman Akbar Pura, Malik Qasim, and other officials, alongside the President of Tehsil Chairmen Association and Mayor of Mardan, Himayatullah Mayar, who addressed the gathering.

Mayar criticized the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government for introducing the Local Government Act 2019, which significantly curtailed the funds and powers of local government representatives.

“This act has rendered the entire LG system ineffective, with not a single penny disbursed to elected representatives by the provincial government over the past two years,” he lamented. The dearth of funds has posed numerous challenges for them, as public expectations remain high while LGs struggle to deliver due to insufficient funds and authority.

“Despite our appeal to the Peshawar High Court, the matter was deferred to the next elected government,” he added.

“With the absence of national and provincial assemblies, the responsibilities of elected LG representatives have amplified, yet the LG system has been rendered impotent by the previous PTI government,” he had asserted.

“We will vehemently protest and compel the caretaker government to promulgate an ordinance to reinstate the powers and funding of LG representatives,” he had argued, emphasizing the urgent restoration of honorarium for elected representatives.

Assuring determination, he stated, “We will surmount any hurdles posed by authorities and reach the CM Secretariat to protest.”

Following the announcement of the sit-in, the Caretaker Chief Minister, Justice (Retd) Syed Arshad Hussain Shah, swiftly instructed the formulation of pragmatic proposals within a week to allocate funds to LGs.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 29^th, 2024.