Devolution of power: Call for strengthening local body system

CCI likely to meet next month.

ISLAMABAD: A bureaucrat has underlined the importance of strengthening the local body (LB) system to solve people’s problems at their door step.

In his talk “Intergovernmental relations and the 18th Amendment” at the National Institute of Historical and Cultural Research, Quaid-i-Azam University here on Thursday, Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination Additional Secretary Furqan Bahadur said that greater responsibility rested with the provinces to serve the people, said a press release. Bahadur said through 18th Amendment provinces had been given much of the autonomy to run their affairs without any obstacles.

He said that the Implementation Commission on 18th Amendment had recommended certain measures which could address the lingering issues of the provinces.

The additional secretary said that certain unresolved issues had already been placed before the Council of Common Interests (CCI).

He said that the next meeting of the CCI was likely to take place in January that would consider all matters.

Bahadur said that the most significant issue which had cropped up with the transfer of power and resources to the provinces after the 18th Amendment was the matter of capacity building.

He said that the federal government was ever willing to cooperate with the provinces in this regard and was ready to extend any assistance they ask for, in terms of resources, revenue, finances and assets.

The additional secretary denied any move on the part of the federal government to roll back the 18th Amendment.

He said that 17 ministries had been devolved to the provinces, and just health and education ministries were kept with the federal government. The official said that even in this regard the federal government only dealt with matters subject to international agreements, the rest was with the provinces.

Bahadur said that it was now up to the provinces to generate their own resources and show their performance in meeting the expectations of the people in the true sense.

Dr Sajid Mahmood Awan, a senior research fellow at the institute moderated the question and answer session.

The talk was part of a series of lectures arranged by the NIHCR, Center of Excellence at Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU), Pakistan Study Group on Federalism in collaboration with the UNDP and the Council of Social Sciences.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 19^th, 2014.