Human Rights Programme of Sungi arranged one-day political education seminar in Tehsil Ghazi of District Haripur on March 31, 2011. 100 participants including 80 men and 20 women from civil society organization, ex-councilors, media person, notables, ex-Tehsil Nazim ghazi, UC Nazim participated in the seminar. The participants demanded from the federal government that the government should immediately announce the date of elections for all tiers of the local governments.  

Mr.Saeed Ahmad Khan ex-Nazim Union Council Kundi emphasized on the continuance and protection of the local government system because it is people friendly. He said it is needed to remove the flaws of this system but there should be no radical changes that make it unfavorable for the common lot. 

Mr.Shoukat ex-councilor and journalist said it is needed to maintain or increase representation of women, peasants, workers and minorities in local government institutions and enhance their ability to participate meaningfully in decision-making processes through amendments in the Local Government Ordinance 

Mrs. Arab ex-councilor said devolution system was better because a Nazim is a direct representative of people and has to provide them services by hook or by crook because he is among them and cannot run away from his own family. But on the other hand, an MNA or MPA cannot represent millions of people alone and therefore he does not take their pain

Mr. Waqalat councilor of Qazi pur UC said everybody can reach to Nazim or their elected representatives. If he/she cannot reach him at day time, he/she easily catch him at his home during the night because he lives in his/her neighborhood and there is no gap or fear unlike the district administration. 

Choudhry Haq Nawaz member ACC Ghazi said that decentralization system must be resumed because it provided facilities and bring development at the grassroots. He further said that this system was easy, accessible and efficient 

Mr.Zahid a civil society representative said we need to reform the local government system with the aim of enhancing the empowerment of people in line with the democratic spirit. Any attempt to dissolve local governments in favor of provincial power would have serious negative implications on the already skewed balance of powers and poor state of development. It would significantly undermine citizens’ participation in democratic processes. 

Mukhtar Javed Manager Human Rights Sungi said in order to establish democracy at grassroots level, the regime of General Pervez Musharaf, introduced the LG System. This was not a new experiment in Pakistan. Ayub Khan had undertaken a similar effort in this direction by introducing the Basic Democracy System.  

The main purpose of introducing the Local Government System was to empower the people at the grassroots level and to transfer power from the elite to the masses. This system of grassroots democracy envisaged yielding new political leaders. It was also anticipated to solve people's problems at their door step, allow public participation in decision-making and ensure the provision of speedy justice. The essence of this system was that the LG would be accountable to the citizens for all their decisions. It would enable the proactive elements of society to participate in community work, development related activities and would remove rural-urban divide. The new LG plan was an effort by the than Government to lay the foundations of an authentic and enduring democracy.  

He further said that LG is almost the sole source of services in the rural sector of developing countries. Being closest to the people and central to the participatory development, LG has been assigned a strong role to play in rural development. In conclusion he said that in order for LG to be an effective instrument of change, it must be integrated with other economic and fiscal decentralization and backed up by consistent political will (state commitment) and active society (people participation). The institutional framework must have an endogenous ability to serve greatly heterogeneous village demands. So there are reasons to believe, however, that given the opportunity to continue democratic local institutions over a long period, decentralization may gradually bring about better results. 

Mr.Aslam Hayat ex-Tehsil Nazim Ghazi thanked SDF for making him the part of seminar giving political education. He said devolution system is prevailing in 167 countries at the moment and asked if it has not worth enough then why the world is following it successfully? Then he gave many examples of BHUs, schools, WSS, road construction programs which were all provided by the representatives of LG. He advised that if everybody among finish his/her daily work and then leave for home, then there is no reason that our country won’t get development. He said in my entire tenure of service there is no case which had been left on my table without being solved. In the end, he emphasized that LG is the mother of parliament and is the best system experienced by varied governments of world. 

After the productive discussion in seminar, a resolution was passed in which a reminder was given to provincial and federal government that they should keep their promise of protecting and continuing the system of local government 2001. It was stated in the resolution that according to the constitution of 1973, it is an obligation on all the provinces that they should launch local government system and transfer their political, administrative and financial powers and liabilities to the representatives of local government. It was stated that it is needed to hold local elections on political party basis. 

Political parties are central to a robust democracy. Unless political parties are strengthened and structured close to people, democracy cannot take roots. It was also demanded in the resolution that existing local government enjoys the support of a majority of the citizens of Pakistan, even though the need for reforms that does not have an implication on the current structure of voting and representation.  

To sum it up, participants of seminar declared that “in pursuance of Article 140A of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan that requires provinces to establish, by law, a local government system and devolve political, administrative and financial responsibility and authority to the elected representatives of the local governments, we the citizens of Pakistan, representatives of civil society organizations, bar associations, trade unions and media, and elected representatives of Union, Tehsil and District Governments reaffirms that elected local government is an important foundation and an essential component of democracy.”