ISLAMABAD: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Khursheed Shah on Monday said that the federal government could not impose the local government (LG) system it had imposed in all four provinces.
While talking to journalists Parliament House, Shah said that “the local government system is a provincial matter”.
“The federal government can make decisions for the local government systems in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab, however, it cannot impose its desired changes across the board because this matter falls completely under a province’s domain,” the PPP leader noted.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government has drafted a proposal to overhaul the local government system. Under the new system, the federal government will be able to devolve power and allow district governments to enjoy complete autonomy from provincial chief ministers and ministers.
The draft proposes to introduce changes in Punjab, KP and the Centre in the first phase of implementation.
The lawmaker also alleged that Prime Minister Imran Khan has only come to power to impose taxes on the poor.
“The mini budget is making the poor pay taxes on gas, petrol, and other commodities,” Shah said.
Furthermore, the PPP leader proposed that the Parliament should appoint the Federal Board of Revenue chairman in order to fix the tax system.
Earlier, on Sunday, the premier had chaired a meeting on local bodies system and directed for finalisation of the local government (LG) system within the next 48 hours, stressing that devolution of powers to the grass-roots level was the most important agenda of the PTI government.
“The objective behind this agenda is to empower the local people in the real sense,” he had added.
Punjab Governor Chaudhry Sarwar, Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Shah Farman, Minister for Information Fawad Chaudhry and senior leadership of the PTI were present during the meeting.
The prime minister observed that besides devolution of power at the grass-roots level, effective public accountability of the elected representatives would be ensured, adding the local government system would remove the status quo.
The devolution of powers and the local bodies system would help the new leadership rise, he noted.
PM Khan had also said that the new system would be rooted in the democratic norms in which governance and transparency would be ensured. The premier stressed upon introduction of a system in which the public representatives should be guarded against blackmailing at all levels so that they could fully concentrate their energies on public welfare.