Today, people from several parts of Punjab will go to the polls to elect local councillors in what is merely the first part of a multi-tiered – and mostly indirect – electoral exercise. In this special report, Dawn examines the Punjab Local Govt Act 2013 and maps out the processes that will bring a new set of political representatives to power. Comparisons have also been made between the scale of devolution carried out under this law and previous regimes to understand how much power will actually remain in the hands of the people’s newly-elected representatives.
RAWALPINDI/CHAKWAL: Sardar Ghulam Abbas’ eight-year stint as the Chakwal zila nazim, or district mayor, is considered “an era of development and prosperity” by many.
Between 2001 and 2008, new colleges, roads and small dams were established and streets in remote villages were constructed.
This happened, Abbas’ supporters claim, because of the administrative and financial powers given under the Punjab Local Government Ordinance, introduced by then-president Pervez Musharraf.
Nearly a decade later, the local bodies system has been revived, with the Punjab Local Bodies Act 2013.
But the law continues to attract criticism and comparisons with the Musharraf era, because rather than actually devolving power, it appears to maintain the status quo.