Local government: K-P LCA rejects rules of business; warns of protests

December 20 is final deadline for government to redo the rules.

PESHAWAR: Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Local Councillors Association (LCA) rejected the local government’s rules of business and established December 20, 2015 as a deadline for the government to withdraw them. If the government fails to do so, a province-wide protest will be launched.

Speaking at a news conference at Peshawar Press Club on Monday, the general secretary of Local Government Association (LGA) Israrullah said, “The elected representatives of the local government system have been made completely powerless as all powers have been delegated to the DC and AC.” He said the LG rules of business conflicted with Article 140-A of the Constitution of Pakistan and the Local Government Act, 2013.

“Article 140-A and the LG Act 2013 empowered the elected representatives to serve the masses as they could easily contact their elected representatives,” he said. “However, if they have limited power, how can they better serve them in a fitting manner?”



Quoting one of the rules of business, he said the DC had been declared the head of the district development committee whereas the district nazim was not even made a member of that committee. “As per Article 140-A, all political, administrative and financial powers of the local government can only be exercised by elected representatives of the local government,” said Israrullah.

He said the K-P LCA had welcomed the 2013 LG Act but all powers were snatched from the elected representatives through the recently-introduced rules of business. He said K-P LCA members will protest in every district headquarters if the rules of business are not repealed and revised. Israrullah appealed all elected local government representatives to take part in the demonstrations “and save local democracy”.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 24^th,  2015.