WHAT ARE THE IMPORTANT FUNCTIONS OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT SYSTEM IN PAKISTAN?

The current local government system in Pakistan is based on the pillars of basic democracy. It has three tiers: district councils, tehsil councils and union councils.

Ayub Khan and Zia ul Haq's military regimes emphasized the local government system in Pakistan but didn't empower it with a constitution.

Due to this, local governments still need more autonomy and resources.

FUNCTIONS

Several speakers highlighted the importance of local government system in Pakistan for ensuring transparency, strengthening public representation and promoting grassroots activism. They emphasized the need for proper training of elected representatives and regular orientation programs on the functions and powers of Local Self-Government bodies.

They also spoke about the need for devolution of power to lower tiers of government. This would reduce the burden on the central and provincial governments and promote community-based development. It was argued that this would make it easier for citizens to approach their elected representatives about issues they were concerned about.

The closing session included a presentation by the Chairman of the Association for Development of Local Governance, who urged state support for establishing sustainable local governments in Pakistan. He thanked the European Union Delegation and the Local Government Forum for organizing this crucial conference. He also urged the provincial and federal governments to expedite the process of implementing local government in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces.

STRUCTURE

Participants called for political parties to incorporate local governance into their manifestos and support installing robust local institutions. They also advocated for regular local government elections to enable citizens to hold their elected representatives accountable and for provincial governments to ensure the complete transfer of powers and funds to local government in line with the 18th Amendment provisions.

It was also highlighted that the electoral system for selecting districts and tehsil nazims offers opportunities for corruption and erodes the political accountability of the executive. This has implications for the effectiveness of the district and tehsil councils, municipal/town corporations and committees/committees, respectively, regarding their responsiveness to citizens' needs. The design of these structures must address this issue. This should be done while ensuring that the allocation of resources is transparent and equitable. Furthermore, all four provinces must collaborate to share best practices and lessons learned to strengthen the country's devolution process.

LEGISLATION

Local Government (LG) is one of the most essential facets of Pakistan's democratic system. It devolves power to the lowest tier of the state, creating direct channels for communication between elected representatives and their constituents. This is a crucial aspect of democracy that must be preserved for Pakistan to progress.

However, other government institutions often contest the LG's authority in Islamabad. For example, sewerage is a municipal responsibility, but in many areas of the city, it falls under the control of CDA. This overlapping of powers is the primary hindrance to the smooth functioning of the local government.

In this context, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) ruled that the ICT can hold local government elections in 101 Union Councils. Moreover, the court barred all new recruitments until surplus employees were transferred to the City District Government and Union Administrations.

BUDGET

In Pakistan, as in many countries, provincial governments are cash-strapped and need more money to invest in development activities. This is especially true of education, where much of the budget is spent on running existing schools rather than investing in new systems.

The same applies to local government, with district councils and metropolitan corporations sharing a significant portion of their budget with higher provincial government levels. This infringes on their autonomy and limits their ability to deliver services effectively.

This is why IPU President Duarte Pacheco and the IPC delegation met with Finance Minister Ishaq Dar today to discuss increasing Pakistan's local governments' financial and administrative capacity. They stressed the need to make devolution a reality and called for constitutional cover for local government. This would allow for greater accountability and transparency at the local level, reduce corruption and ensure that essential services are delivered efficiently. This is a crucial step towards ending rampant poverty, inequality and joblessness in Pakistan.