Dist council retained in LG system: Khattak

NOWSHERA: Federal Minister for Defence Pervez Khattak said on Friday the district council has been retained in the new local government system being introduced in KP.

Talking to the reporters, he said consultation was going on with Prime Minister Imran Khan on the draft of the new local government system and the amendment bill would be moved in the assembly soon for approval. The federal minister said KP and Punjab would have a new local government system which would help resolve the people’s problems at the grassroots level and would lead to more devolution of powers.

Pervez Khattak said the new LG system would have three tiers — District Council, Tehsil Council and Neigbourhood Council/ Village Council.

He said a reduction had been made in the number of councilors under the new system which was set to be introduced in the province soon. The federal minister said earlier it had been proposed to abolish the District Council tier in KP and Tehsil Nazim was to be chosen directly but now changes have been made to the plan.

He said the reforms committee comprising Ministers Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Assad Umar, Khisro Bakhtyar, Shafqat Mahmood and he himself had discussed in detail the reforms in the education, health, agriculture and local government sectors.

Pervez Khattak said an important meeting of the reforms committee was scheduled for February 3 which would deliberate the LG system proposed for KP.

He hoped that the new system would lead to the devolution of power at the local level and involve the people in civic issues at the basic level. The federal minister was critical of the opposition’s Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) for its anti-government drive and believed that its narrative had failed to attract the masses.

He said the PDM leaders had come together to protect the tainted opposition politicians whom he accused of amassing wealth through illegal means.