Daily Times

RAWALPINDI: After the revival of the local bodies system, the former MPA and Mayor-elect of Rawalpindi, Sardar Naseem, would take oath of the slot as the Mayor of Rawalpindi today (Saturday). He will be 8th municipal head and 5th mayor of the city.

The oath taking ceremony will be held at the auditorium of Rawalpindi Arts Council, where the Administrator of Rawalpindi Municipal Corporation ( RMC) Nazia Sudhan, would administer the oath to the newly-elected PML-N’s Mayor, Sardar Naseem Ahmed, who was elected unopposed .

The member of the parliament from Rawalpindi division, local leadership of the PML-N and officers of the district administration , the elected chairmen of the union councils , traders and lawyers leaders, political and social personalities and notables of the city will participate.

The Rawalpindi Municipal Committee came into being in 1960 and after 15 years it was given the status of Municipal Corporation in 1975. In Aug 2001 it was again converted to Tehsil Municipal Administration (TMA).In 2005 it was again modified as Town Municipal Administration (Rawal Town). Now the Punjab government has once again restored its status as “Municipal Administration” once again.

In 1979 local bodies election were held in Pakistan The Pakistan People’s Party had won convincingly under the cover of the Awam Dost Group. PPP’s candidates Agha Riazul Islam (late ) and Muhammad Shahzad were elected Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Rawalpindi at that time.

But soon Mayor Agha Riazul Islam was declared unqualified for the slot under martial law order as he belonged to the PPP and did not compromise with the military dictator, General Ziaul Haq’s regime. On his seat the loser competitor in the local bodies election Sheikh Ghulam Hussain was given the post of Mayor and Raja Fazal Karim became the deputy mayor.

In 1983 , local government elections were held on non party basis in which Sheikh Ghulam Hussain won by a clean majority and Agha Abdul Rashid Gilani became Deputy Mayor . Former Federal Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed and Chaudhary Mushtaq contested the elections for mayor and deputy mayor, but both were defeated by the Ghulam Hussain group, which was backed by the government. During that elections Agha Riazul Islam was in Jhelum jail.

In 1987 ,the local bodies election were held once again in which Agha Abdul Rashid Gilani became the Mayor and former MNA Haji Pervez Khan and Bashir Awan was elected to the post of Deputy Mayor.

In 1991 Agha Abdul Rashid Jilani was elected once again Mayor and Raja Altaf was elected Deputy Mayor, who was the son of former Deputy Mayor Raja Fazal Karim. In 1998’s election Haider Ali was supported by former federal minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed .

It was the shortest tenure of mayor as General Pervez Musharraf toppled down the PML-N’s government on 12 October 1999 and local bodies institutions were brought to an end. In 2001 former President Pervez Musharraf abolished the century old magistrate system and introduced new system of devolution of power .