PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa cabinet on Friday approved the drafts of Local Government and Ehtesab Commission laws that would be tabled in the provincial assembly on Monday.
The provincial government, however, has made it clear that it would need two months for delimitations after the passage of the local government law by the provincial assembly and only after that final date would be announced for the local bodies’ elections in the province.
Briefing the media on the decisions of the cabinet, spokesperson for the provincial government and provincial Information Minister Shah Farman and Minister for Local Government, Elections and Rural Development Inayatullah Khan said that approval and enactment of both the laws was part of the agenda of change of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-led coalition government in the province.
Shah Farman said the government was committed to bringing transparency into all government affairs and the Right to Information (RTI) Ordinance had been implemented for the purpose.
The law has made the government responsible and answerable to the people, which was the priority of the PTI-led coalition government, the minister said.
He said when passed into law the Ehtesab Commission Act would lead to the formation of the Ehtesab Commission, which would be an autonomous anti-corruption establishment.
The minister said it would carry out accountability of even the chief minister and his cabinet members along with all other government functionaries. “Under the procedure any common man would approach the Ehtesab Commission to hold accountable those responsible for any corruption,” he said.
To a question, he categorically said there would be no plea bargain like arrangement in the Ehtesab Commission. “It would be more autonomous and transparent than all existing state-controlled anti-corruption establishments,” Shah Farman said.
While responding to the questions from reporters, Inayatullah did not agree with the notion that the new local government law was the ditto copy of the Musharraf’s Local Government Ordinance. “It is different in many aspects as around 4000 village councils would be formed where 40,000 to 50,000 councillors would be elected under the new, while it would lead to devolution at community level far behind the transfer of powers as enshrined in the 2001 law,” the minister said.
To a question about the date for the local bodies’ elections in the province, the local government minister said they would need two months even after the approval of the law by the provincial assembly for delimitation.
