Strong local govts essential for democratic stability: PA Speaker

LAHORE (APP) - Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan on Tuesday stressed the need for constitutional protection of local governments and effective devolution of powers to the grassroots, saying strong local institutions were essential for democratic stability and resolution of public issues.

He was addressing the launch ceremony of the Task Force Report on Reforms in Local Governance, prepared by the BNU Centre for Policy Research (BCPR), where he attended as the chief guest.

The speaker said the benefits of democracy could not reach ordinary citizens without empowering local governments with adequate authority and resources.

He observed that local institutions in Pakistan had been unable to perform their effective role due to the concentration of powers at the provincial level.

He said strengthening local governments was essential to completing the democratic system envisaged under the Constitution of 1973.

Devolution of powers, he added, was not merely an administrative requirement but a fundamental aspect of citizens’ participation in governance.

Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan said Pakistan’s administrative structure continued to retain features of the colonial system and stressed the need for making governance more responsive to public needs, enabling citizens to take meaningful decisions about local affairs.

He said effective local autonomy and public representation were vital for national cohesion, adding that empowered local governments could address grievances arising from resource constraints and a sense of deprivation by resolving public issues closer to citizens.

The speaker said members belonging to various political parties in the Punjab Assembly had jointly contributed to efforts to strengthen local governance. He disclosed that more than 80 members had voluntarily expressed their willingness to join the Parliamentary Caucus on Local Governments.