It has been four years since local government elections were held in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), yet elected representatives say that local governments remain deprived not only of administrative authority but also of development funds. Not a single rupee has been released for development work so far, leaving the local governance system paralyzed and increasing the hardships of representatives and the general public alike. The delivery of essential municipal and social services has also been severely impacted.
After the elections, amendments made to the Local Government Act rendered the local government system dysfunctional. Even meetings of tehsil and village councils have come to a standstill. This has compounded the difficulties for not just local representatives, but for citizens across the province.
The issue is even more pronounced in the newly merged tribal districts, where local elections were held for the first time. Initially, there was optimism about the local government system, but those hopes are now fading fast.
They are demanding a three-year extension to the tenure of local governments and the release of development funds from fiscal years 20212022 through 2026. They also urge the immediate establishment of Assistant Director offices in tehsils .
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