Condemning the recent move of Sindh government to revive Commissionerate System and Police Act 1869 in the province, former National Reconstruction Bureau chairman Daniyal Aziz along with former nazims and leaders of Local Council Association-Sindh on Wednesday demanded the immediate withdrawal of the new bills.
Speaking at a press conference in Karachi Press Club, the former NRB chairman said the government’s objective behind the revival of commissionerate system is to damage democracy and an awareness campaign in this regard will be started soon with the first convention in Sukkur on July 20. “By reviving the commissionerate system, the government has started a war against judiciary.”
Terming the move an unlawful act and contrary to Article 140A of the Constitution, Aziz said it was a bid to bulldoze the governance system at local levels in the country and revive the old draconian laws of Zia’s Martial Law. “By reviving the Commissionerate System and Police Act 1869, provincial authorities want to usurp political, administrative, financial and democratic rights of local representatives.”
He apprehended that after the revival of commissionerate system, billions of rupees of developmental funds earmarked for local governments in the provincial budgets would be misused opening up a new era of loot and plunder by some vested interests in politics and bureaucracy.
Aziz said the revival of the district magistrate office is also contrary to the idea of separation of judiciary from executive, as ensured in the constitution. He called upon the political bigwigs not to axe the Local Government Ordinance 2001, which had been devised for the welfare of the poor, especially to empower labourers, workers, peasants and women at local levels.
The LCA leaders demanded that the basic importance of Union Councils should be accepted in the backdrop of Local Government Ordinance 2001, adding that keeping in view the clause 77 and 78 of the Ordinance, resources and authorities of Tehsil should be given to the union and the same of the union should be given to the village.
The former nazims also demanded that the 18th amendment is fully implement and warned those working against its enforcement. “Those trying to create hurdles in way of the future of Pakistan’s constitutional obligations and democracy cannot succeed.”