LAHORE – SPO, a non-government organisation, in collaboration with Action Aid, organized a one day consultation seminar on local government issues and challenges faced by the office bearers of different Punjab districts, civil society and media at a local hotel on Thursday. MPA Amna Ulfat, Ayma Mehmood, Local Government Association Director Anwar Hussain, Advocate Qazi Mobeen, Regional head SPO Salman Abid, Syed Shahabuddin, Irfan Hote from Action aid, Laila Azhar from Home Net, Zafar Malik and Afzal Lashari addressed the seminar and said that the government required showing sincerity and clear cut policy regarding polls to provide an opportunity such that political forces may take a line of action.
The speakers urged the government to promote democratic norms and hold local body government polls without waiting a single moment. They also demanded government fulfill its duty of retaining and strengthening the local government system. They said that the civil society and other forces should influence government and relevant political parties should government behave in a law full manner. They said that the crises in Pakistan were due to the fact that Pakistanis had no local governance system in Pakistan.
The speakers demanded abolishment of both local government and local councils. They said although it was a provincial matter, the federal government should not sit idle and keep a check on provincial governments to fulfill their duties law-fully. They said the provincial government should ensure development programs by the hands of local government system by enacting relevant laws.
