Besides a village council, the four-tier LG system consists of a union council (UC), tehsil council and district council. PHOTO: NASEEM AHMAD
PESHAWAR: The subcommittee of the working group assigned to make a framework for the local government (LG) system said it would set up around 6,000 village councils across the province.
In a meeting on Wednesday, it was proposed that a village council will comprise nine members who will be elected on non-party basis and will represent between 4,000 to 8,000 people. The council will be independent in its decisions and will be headed by a chairman. Council members will include two women, a farmer and one non-Muslim member.
Besides a village council, the four-tier LG system consists of a union council (UC), tehsil council and district council. Between three to four village councils will make up a UC.
If the proposed system is approved by the provincial cabinet, new demarcations will be carried out for UCs. Following this, village councils will be carved out. Presently, there are 960 UCs in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, which is expected to be increased to 1,200.
The subcommittee members who participated in the meeting include Dr Muhammad Iqbal Khalil of the Jamaat-e-Islami, Qaumi Watan Party’s Anisa Zaib Tahir Khaili, Peshawar Commissioner Sahibzada Muhammad Anis and secretary of the local government department, Hafizur Rehman.
The Pakistan Tehreek Insaf-led provincial government plans to hold local body elections in October this year. The last time the LG polls were carried out in the province was in 2005.
In a meeting on Monday, Minister for Local Government Inayatullah Khan said the subcommittee would work out the election procedure. “After presenting its report, the subcommittee will meet again to prepare a draft for the polls which would be presented to the chief minister. After the chief executive’s approval, the draft will be brought to the assembly to be turned into legislation,” the minister said.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 25th, 2013.
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@Shahrukh I was not surprised by Indian finding in practice. The original source of system is France (where original system was introduced in 1789). There the middle tier was basically nonfunctional. It was only a polling district and where courts were located. I think they still do not realize in Pakistan this system is based on French system. The French have modernized their system tremendously. It has many more tiers now But this is because country has urbanized tremendously. [In France most tiers are horizontal not vertical.] Latest form is the metropolis form. http://www.theatlanticcities.com/politics/2013/07/why-expansion-paris-pretty-big-deal/6345/ Why the Expansion of Paris Is a Pretty Big Deal http://nicecotedazur.org/ In fact the every continent now has examples of what the French pioneered in some form. The French approach uses regional governance structures. This means different layers are integrated. What is known today as metropolitan governance is urban face of this type of system. France is one of few countries that also have rural system. It is strange that South Asia still doesn't have urban systems of this type.
@Sajida: I agree, I think a two layer system if implemented properly in enough, the Tehsil (Sub District) and District governments are better, as they can be better monitored politically. The K-P government can have exclusive councilors for farmers, youth and women.
Too many layers. Even a 3 tiered system is too much for India and they want a 4 tiered system for K-P . Indian experience shows that a three-tiered system is not sustainable financially and politically so that one tier becomes a dummy- either the district or the intermediate tier. Please go back and fix this plan.