ISLAMABAD, May 4: President Gen Pervez Musharraf said on Saturday the general elections in October will be held on party basis.

He was talking to the representatives of foreign media in Pakistan here at his office.

The president said: “It is our endeavour that genuine democracy takes roots in Pakistan and a healthy political culture is established.”

He recalled how his government was striving to bring about improvement in three areas — economic revival, good governance and poverty alleviation. The reforms and restructuring have been introduced in these three areas, he added.

“If all these reforms and restructuring are not capped by true and healthy democracy, they will go waste,” he emphasized.

Therefore, the president said, he had to focus on improving political culture and environment in Pakistan.

But, he hastened to add, “it does not mean that I am entering politics.”

He said, it meant that up until October, he had to see that the correct political environment and essence of democracy was introduced in Pakistan.

Meanwhile, a meeting of the Chief Executive’s Committee on Devolution, which Gen Musharraf presided, decided to institutionalize the devolution of power, “so that when the change occurs in October, 2002, the system is functional and irreversible, as mandated by the nation overwhelmingly in the referendum.”

The meeting decided to move forward urgently to strengthen the structures and systems to institutionalize the devolution process.

President Musharraf directed all concerned to make effective implementation of plans and ensure continuity of the system.

“The provincial governments should ensure an empowered local government at district level, both functionally and financially. The provinces will be supportive to local governments and will ensure provincial resources were assigned for development.”

The president asked the provinces to work closely with federal finance ministry to put in place an appropriate financial formula and enabling laws.

He directed the provincial governors to provide necessary officers of union council, tehsil and district governments, transportation facilities for women councillors and Nazims etc.

The meeting was attended by all provincial governors and their teams, Vice-Chief of the Army Staff, and federal ministers for finance, foreign, interior, information, law and justice, local government and Kashmir Affairs and Northern Areas and SAFRON.

The meeting discussed and affirmed the need for keeping a balance between devolution to tehsils, taluqas, districts and provinces from the federal government.

It was decided in the meeting that the institutions for ensuring effective implementation of devolution of powers must not only be in place but also operational with necessary monitoring systems. Detailed presentations were made by chief secretaries of the four provinces, giving progress on the establishment of institutional and other aspects already in place as well as the actions and plans to be completed by June 30, 2002.

The National Reconstruction Bureau’s presentation summarized the state of devolution, devolution transition funds and emphasized the need for keeping provincial transition teams (PTTs) focused and committed to completing the transition.

The PTTs will ensure translating the NRB guidelines into applicable rules for local governments.

The NRB officials briefed the meeting about the actions, planned towards holding of local government elections in cantonments and Islamabad territory by the end of September, 2002.

The meeting discussed at length the financial decentralization with reference to interim financial systems provided for the current fiscal year and new financial system, which shall become operative on July 1, 2002.

The meeting reviewed detailed programme of capacity-building which included training provided for local government human resource by the NRB.

The meeting was briefed about the feedback from the general public on Police Ordinance, 2002, which was made public through the Ministry of Information and Media Development on March 20, 2002.

The NRB is in the process of incorporating necessary amendments in the Police Ordinance for finalization. —APP