PRESS RELEASE

Peshawar: October 29, 2021: Centre for Governance and Public Accountability (CGPA) has lamented the delaying tactics applied by the PTI government to hold local government elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).

It's a clear violation of the constitutional provisions and PTI’s own election manifestoes. CGPA demanded that the local government elections should be held at soonest and the amendments introduced to Local Government Act should be taken back for restoring local governments in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Muhammad Anwar, Executive Director CGPA, while briefing the press conference in Peshawar press club stated that when PTI government came into power, it announced good governance legislative framework. Local governments were the corner stone of PTI government. However, the tenure of the Local Government expired in August 2019. For more than two years, the KP has no elected local governments now, which is a clear violation of the constitution of Pakistan. The election commission is bound to hold elections within 120 days after the expiry of LB tenure under the Article 140 (A) and Section (4) 219 of Election Act 2017. However, the KP government has not completed the legislative requirements and other pre-requisites for holding local government elections.

Mr. Anwar also demanded restoration of district governments in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He stated that when tribal districts were merged in KP in 2018, it was expected that KP government will carryout accelerated reforms in the newly merged districts. Holding local government elections in these districts were one main step for ensuring citizens empowerment. He lamented that delaying local government election causes huge resentment in the newly merged districts as well.

Mr. Anwar also stated that on of the main hurdles in the way of empowered local governments is allocation of development funds to provincial legislatures and ministers. He stated that its goes against the PTI government pledges to stop such practices. He welcomes Mr. Kamran Bangash, special assistant to Chief Minister KP, pledge on September 28, 2021 to hold local government elections in November 2021. However, Mr. Anwar demanded that the local government elections for village/neighborhood councils should be held simultaneously and not in phases.