MQM rejects 1979 local government system in Sindh

MQM, when it was a coalition party in previous regime, forced Sindh government to implement LGS, says party leader.


Rabia Ali/kulsoom Inam July 02, 2013
Members of the MQM rabita committee address the press conference on Tuesday. PHOTO: MQM

KARACHI: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) on Tuesday rejected the revival of local government system 1979 in Sindh. The announcement was made during a press conference in Karachi.

Condemning the move, Kunwar Naveed of the Rabita Committee at a press conference, demanded the Sindh government to bring back the 2001 local goverment system. “By enforcing the 1979 system, the PPP has taken away the rights of the representatives of the common people and left the people at the mercy of commissioners and deputy commissioners.”

He said that the through the local system of the Zia regime, the administrative, financial and political rights of the local body authorities has been snatched by the Sindh government.

Karachi, Hyderabad and other cities have become garbage dumps as the authorities don't have money to pay to their workers, he added.

Voicing their demand, Naveed said they want the 2001 system to be in place so that Sindh is divided into city, town and union councils, and through nazims and UC heads, the problems of the people are addressed and their issues are resolved.

He said that they would raise this issue in the parliament and take legal course.

“The politicians are not in favour of common people getting elected in these local government bodies and solving the problems of their region,” said the MQM leader.

“The local government system was first introduced by Ayub Khan, then Ziaul Haq in 1979, followed by Pervez Musharraf in 2001. Ironically, the LGS law was always imposed by the dictators but the democratically elected assembly never took the step of implementing this law.”

Lauding the role of MQM in this respect, he said that, “MQM, when it was a coalition party in the previous regime, forced the Sindh government to implement LGS. Though the system was not serving the people like MQM wanted, but the party thought that something is better than nothing.”

Almost four months after the Sindh government had revived the 1979 local government system, it formally enacted the law on Monday.

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) were also abolished.

COMMENTS (23)

Imran Farooq | 10 years ago | Reply

@iftekhar hussain: are you the same person who is released on bail? Can you please tell us what is going on in London?

mrs ahmed | 10 years ago | Reply

I wish we have directly elected mayor in karachi like all mega cities world over , with p[olice , law and order , health and educationalong with civic eminities .

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