The Sindh local government 1979 came into effect as the ad hoc setup ended on June 30. PHOTO: FILE
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.”
COMMENTS (19)
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@Aysha M:
PTI has no interest in the people of Karachi.
Why worry about it. They are not going to have local body elections, either Zia system or Musharraf system. Both PPP and PMLN system is not to have local body system.
@Sindhyar Baloch Sir PPP was suppose to be the party standing against draconian policy of zia era but now it has rather joined rightest parties or i should now there is no right or left it is just self interest... and you will soon see they will revert back to oblige mqm once they join govt...to deal with a blackmailer you have to bigger blackmailer.
@Mekaal Shahriyar: In all civilized democracies, the cities are not allowed to become strongholds of gangsters, thugs and extortionists the way Karachi has become since 80s. In all civilized democracies, the large cities take up the mantle of not just increasing economic activities within the region but also support economic and cultural growth in their surrounding towns and cities, unlike Karachi that has razed 100 years old villages inside and at border parameters to remove ethnic "imbalance". In all civilized democracies, the local governments "do not" send briefcases to self-exiled leaders abroad that keep millions of pounds unaccounted, hidden within the walls of their houses. In all civilized democracies, the local governments do not fear any external auditing. In all civilized democracies, the local governments are not allowed completely favor a particular ethnicity and completely ignore others areas where that ethnicity is not dominant. Please do not throw half-baked claims and comparing apples with oranges.
@Mehran: Faroos Sattar and Afghani worked in the municipal system because they did not have any other choice. And comparing the work they did and the work Mustafa Kamal did in Local Government system tells it all.In civilized democries from USA, UK to India to Turkey big cities are given their democratic right to have their own Local City Government with full powers.The kind of "good clean" politicians we have in sind government Karachi appears doomed to be further looted like the past five years during which not even one major development project has been completed.
@Mekaal Shahriyar: It is not completely true bro. Under the same 1979 system, JI Mayor Abdul Sattar Afghani and Farooq Sattar served as mayor of Karachi and performed their effective role. System is not bad, but what we need is a good clean politician at local level who run mayorship system. Not mafia and corrupt people. Secondly, PPP is not federal Govt, NAB and Courts are free, they can control corruption. So, as u said, this system will bring corruption for PPP is baseless. Finally, as per democratic norms, it is prerogative of Assembly to formulate a Law and this is what PPP Govt did with majority. Pls respect the mandate of assembly. Lets not make this system controversial.
That is why Sindh is still one-step forward, two-steps backward in economic backwaters. The present rulers embrace the inequitable system of political and economic injustice for which a constitutional change is urgently required. Either we get a new constitution or we make seminal changes to economic and political justice in the present system. In its absence, the PPP will have to take all the blame for the corruption and deprivation. Salams
Congratulation PPP, finally they took some stand on LG system. Dont fear violent groups, give people stable Govt and system. Pls serve masses.
In general zia's municipal system deputy commissioner (a servant of sind government) has the control over funds unlike the city government system where elected representatives have control over funds hence its easy for the corrupt in sind government to eat up Karachi, Hyderabad and Sukkur's funds through deputy commissioner than see them being spent on the development of the cities
It's very difficult almost impossible to eat up the development funds of autonomous or even semi autonomous city governments while in General Zia's municipal system that's very dear to wadera party the deputy commissioner (a non elected person) has the authority over funds and he is the servant of Sindh wadera government so that's the reason for wadera party's love for this system because it provides easy and complete opportunity of embezzling the funds meant for the development of cities. The wadera government could not even complete four flyovers in Karachi and has kept eating up the funds.
Now I will vote for MQM again......
The streets of urban Sindh are abuzz with whispers of separation from Pakistan.
Forces of status quo do not want to have third tier of government which would empower ordinary citizens.
Where is PTI, if they are interested in gaining strength in Karachi they should know that people of Karachi need local government. PtI should exert pressure on PPP to take this action back
The Sindh Local Government Ordinance of the 2000s' worked...you could go to your area Nazim's office and get problems in your locality seen to. The Nazim was elected and therefore answerable ultimately based on what he did for the area, the truest form of Democracy. Going back to this law is utter stupidity and entirely reflective of the PPP's inability to see the future and move forward.
The world is moving forward and this corrupt incapable PPP is taking Sind in the reverse direction. Pathetic !!!!!
How you move forward? By going backward?
congrats to all sindhis brother...your life long wish is full filled "again". lets hope, at least they deliver this time around.
Nd u think Nawaz Sharif nd the whole PML N (ruling Pak today) and MQM (emerging under zia rule, who is considered its De facto founder) is not Zia's legacy... Aaahahahaha.. Tussi Baray mazaki ho:D
sindh govt carrying zia's legacy forward.....democracy is the best revenge