PM pledges to devolve powers to local bodies
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Prime Minister Imran Khan has vowed to devolve powers to the local bodies and to defeat the vested interests resisting the change.
Talking to newsmen in Islamabad, he said elections to local governments in Punjab will be held directly in two tiers at village council or Panchaiat level and at tehsil level.
Prime Minister said funds will be directly transferred to village councils and Tehsil Nazims, which will financially empower local people to decide about their development projects.
Imran Khan said under the new law passed by Punjab, the mayor of a city, town and tehsil would be elected directly - in a first in South Asia.
He said new process would do away with the existing practice of using money in purchasing loyalties for votes.
The new Punjab Local Bodies Act 2019 is aimed at strengthening the intra-party democracy and allowing the common man to play his part in the local government system.
Imran Khan said the new local bodies system will be made viable only if it was able to generate revenue. He said the provinces do not have enough capacity to collect funds under 18th amendment.
Answering a question, he said we are not bringing any presidential system in the country.
To an other question, Imran Khan said the government is going to appoint taxation expert Shabbar Zaidi as new head of the Federal Board of Revenue.
