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Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Sindh to hold local govt elections on party basis

Staff Report

KARACHI: The Sindh Assembly on Monday passed the Sindh Local Government Bill, 2013 as most opposition parties, including the PML-N, PML-F and PTI, supported the bill in addition to the ruling PPP lawmakers.

However, the major opposition party, MQM, opposed the bill, although its members avoided staging a protest in the House.

In their speeches, MQM leaders termed the bill and “improved version” of the 1979’s local government system and threatened to launch a protest movement apart from moving courts against the bill.

PPP leader and Senior Minister for Education Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, who was also part of the government’s ministerial committee that drafted the bill, moved the bill before the Sindh Assembly.

Sindh Assembly Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani allowed leaders of all political parties, including the MQM, to speak on the bill for around two hours before his formal consideration. MQM members did not come up with any amendment to the bill.

However, PML-F lawmakers suggested some amendments. One of these amendments was carried and included in the bill.

Speaking on the bill, Nisar Ahmed Khuhro said that the government has brought the new local government system after holding consultations with all political parties, including MQM, PML-F, PML-N.

According to him, it was “first time in the history of Sindh” that the government had publicly invited suggestions from the public and political parties about the bill – by displaying the draft bill on the official website of the Sindh government.

In this system, he added, the government has increased representation of women and minorities. He said that under this bill, the forthcoming local government elections will be held on party basis. He said the law could be amended any time for further improvement.

“When the constitution is amended why cannot this law be amended?” he said.

Referring to the 1979 local government system and Sindh Local Government Ordinance, 2001, the PPP leader said that both the systems were brought during tenures of two military dictators. He said that military rulers had tried to depoliticise society and underestimate importance of the elected assemblies by conducting non-party local government elections.

PML-N leader Irfanullah Marwat termed the bill a positive step and announced his party’s support to it.

 

Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk

 

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