Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah announced on Wednesday the dissolution of all local government institutions — from the city district governments to the union councils — and relieving of nazims by appointing administrators throughout the province.
He made this announcement at a crowded press conference at the chief minister’s house in the presence of the relevant ministers and representatives of the Pakistan People’s Party’s allied parties, including Muttahida Qaumi Movement Minister Syed Sardar Ahmad and Awami National Party Minister Amir Nawab.
Responding to questions, the chief minister said all efforts of the government were aimed at holding elections within 120 days, most likely in May, under new local government laws which were being framed.
He said Fazlur Rehman, the secretary to the local government department, had been appointed administrator for the Karachi city government but in most cases district coordination officers and town municipal officers had been retained as administrators in their respective institutions.
He also said offices of the DCO and TMO had been merged into one designation of administrator who would run and supervise the ongoing projects.
These administrators would also be responsible for holding the coming local government elections in a fair and transparent manner. These elections would be conducted by the Election Commission of Pakistan under its rules in contrast to the three other provinces, Punjab, the NWFP and Balochistan, where the LG election authority had been revived to conduct elections in accordance with the pre-2001 practice.
The chief minister said: “We have decided to hold elections under the election commission due to peculiar circumstances in our province.”Besides, he said, a new local government law was being framed based on good aspects of the Sindh Local Government Ordinance, 1979 and the Sindh Local Government Ordinance, 2001 which besides reflecting the aspirations of the people should be able to resolve their basic problems at their doorsteps.
In reply to a question, the chief minister termed the appointment of administrators a step forward to providing relief to the people until newly elected nazims were installed.
Answering another question, he said efforts would be made for all possible seat adjustments with the allied parties in the government for contesting elections as under the amended law elections would be held on a party basis.
Besides Senior Minister Pir Mazhar-ul-Haq, LG Minister Agha Siraj Durrani, Law Minister Ayaz Soomro and Katchi Abadis Minister Rafique Engineer were present at the press conference.
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