Local govt is here to stay: Soomro calls Nazim system ‘badboodar’

District councils to continue functioning under control of chairperson and councilors.


Our Correspondent July 31, 2012

KARACHI: The Sindh law and parliamentary affairs minister, Ayaz Soomro, categorically denied any changes in the current local government system, saying that it would continue in Sindh as there was no room for the “rotten nazim system” introduced by General Pervez Musharraf.

Speaking to the media at the Sindh Assembly building on Tuesday, he said that there would be a uniform system in the province. Four metropolitan corporations will run under the administrative control of mayor and deputy mayor instead of nazim and naib nazim as promulgated in 2001, in Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur and Larkana.

Soomro said that the district councils will continue functioning under control of the chairperson, vice chairperson, and councillors.

“Nazim system is badboodar, which will not be tolerated by the Sindhi people,” said Soomro while clarifying his party and government’s version. “We are contemplating the revival of the old constituencies before holding the general elections,” said Soomro while sharing concerns about the constituencies formed during Musharraf’s tenure.

He further said that the nazim system had expired and the government was now working to introduce a new local government act 2012.  “The Sindh Assembly Session will be summoned after Eidul Fitr to formulate a law for the nazim system.”

Earlier, the law minister spoke at the offer orders distribution ceremony among 29 probation and parole officers recommended by the Sindh Public Service Commission at the Sindh Assembly Building Committee. He said that it is the responsibility of the newly appointed parole and probation officers to provide relief to prisons according to the law.

With reference to the security at jails in Sindh, Soomro said that none of the 27 prisons were in danger as strict security measures had been adopted, particularly in the four sensitive prisons of Sukkur, Hyderabad, Karachi Central Prisons and Malir District Prison. Soomro’s statements on the local government came as a contradiction to the Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s (MQM) demand to introduce the Musharraf system with a minor amendment.

In a meeting held earlier between President Asif Ali Zardari and MQM delegation, party leader Raza Haroon publicly announced that MQM was in favour of introducing the 2001 Local Government System (LG) with minor changes.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 1st, 2012.

COMMENTS (6)

Wahaj Shariff | 11 years ago | Reply

What about your government Mr. soomro?

HH | 11 years ago | Reply

These MPAs and MNAs are against this system because it took the powers away from them and distribute it at the grass root level.

I've been involved in an extensive study of the previous local government system. The crux of our analysis was that the Nazim system is a blessing for a country like Pakistan, only few tweakings were needed and few issues were needed to be addressed. Rest could be resolved with the time.

One particular beauty of that system was that it improved the grass root level accountability. While talking to union nazims, they said that even an ordinary man started stopping them on streets and banging their doors to question about poor service delivery. Something you can hardly imagine with these MPAs/MNAs. Most of those union nazims were very ordinary people, living in the same area and were accessable to common man very easily. This is contrary to the case with MPAs/MNAs, where MPA/MNA of one constituancy may be found living in another posh area.

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