Daily Times

The civil society representatives and experts on the subject of Local Governments have criticized the newly introduced Punjab Local Government Act 2019 of the PTI government while demanding 33 % representation of the women in new system that is yet to be implemented. The experts were of the opinion that the new LG Act was introduced in sheer haste and therefore it has many lacunas in it. They were talking to media persons in Lahore in a consultation on “Deepening Democracy & Local Governance in Pakistan” on Tuesday.

Talking to media, Bushra Khaliq, Executive Director of Non-Government Organization WISE (Women in Struggle for Empowerment), said that the Local Governments are just like orphan in Punjab these days after abolishing the previous system as elections are yet to be held in the new LG system. The new LG system has many shortcomings that will truly affect the entire system at grass root level. “The democracy is incomplete without appropriate and meaningful representation of women in local institutions. However, the new LG Act 2019 offers little to women for their political participation,” she said. She further added that the Local Government is considered as third tier of governance but unfortunately it was ignored by all the political parties. The government should give more opportunities to the youth and women to come forward in politics rather than excluding them because this primary institution of LGs act as nurseries for the future political leadership, she said.

Experts demand early elections for village/neighbourhood councils in province

She showed her concern and said that the abolition of 33 percent quota for women on reserved seats and their limited representation in the new LG system is upsetting. She criticized that the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government did not take a single stakeholder on board before presenting the ‘Punjab Local Government Act 2019’ in the Punjab Assembly. The government addressed the local government subject through two separate acts titles (i) Punjab Local Government Act 2019, and (ii) Punjab Village Panchayat And Neighbourhood Council Act 2019, which is contradictory in its description in many articles. She also criticized the word “Panchayat” and said this world pinched the marginalized segment of the society as it has very negative connotation. She further said that this government came into power with the majority vote of young people but unfortunately there is no reserved seat for the youth in “PLGA 2019.