Sindh LG amended bill to be tabled today

KARACHI: The Sindh Assembly is set to hold its session today while, for seeking the legislation over the Local Government (LG) system the new (LG) amended bill will be tabled in house today, Geo news reported. Sindh Minister for Local Bodies Agha Siraj Durrani is likely to present the proposed local government amended bill in Sindh Assembly. Durrani told media on Sunday that the bill has been submitted to the assembly secretariat and it would be presented in the house on Monday. Terming it a historic bill, Durrani said that this would bring an end to the system that miserably failed to provide relief to the poor people of the province, particularly interior Sindh. He said that the copy of the bill has been provided to all the MPAs, adding, the bill would ask the house that since the present local government system has completed its tenure the permission to appoint administrators be allowed as the Sindh government intends to hold fair and free elections. Durrani said that once the bill was passed by the house and assented by the Sindh governor, the nazims would be relieved from their offices all over Sindh, including Karachi. He said that the governor would be requested to sign the bill within 24 hours. The minister said that after the dissolution of City Council it would be decided with consensus as to what system should be adopted in Sindh. After the induction of administrators the Sindh government would request the Election Commission of Pakistan to give election schedule, he added. Durrani said that the present system was the brainchild of a dictator and it has been rejected by the three provinces and Sindh will decide which system to bring in after the present City Council was dissolved. This bill would be presented in the house after a hectic exercise, as top leadership of both the PPP and MQM had to intervene and it appeared at one stage that the coalition would break apart. Earlier, Muttahdia had reservations over the appointment of administrators, according to Local Bodies Minister Agha Siraj Durrani. However, after negotiations and dialogues Muttahida agreed on appointing administrators. Speaking at an event in Hyderabad, Dr Farooq Sattar said that MQM would participate in local bodies elections all over the country. There had also been a lot of controversy between City Nazim Syed Mustafa Kamal, provincial minister for local bodies and chief minister but later differences were resolved after Interior Minister Rehman Malik and Sindh Governor intervened to rescue the coalition. Meanwhile, political pundits claim that local government amended bill might be deferred once again in Sindh Assembly on Monday owing to the recent controversy between the government and the judiciary. This bill has been deferred in the house for dozen of times and if it is deferred again on Monday it will go in pending. The political analysts say that Muttahdia would not feel easy once they sign the bill, adding, the prevailing situation was highly volatile to present the bill. The top priority of PPP these days would be to keep close watch on the development of judiciary issues in Islamabad. The parliamentary leader of PPP Pir Mazharul Haq is in Dadu, while provincial minister for local bodies is also in interior Sindh. Speaking at an event in Hyderabad, Sindh chief minister said that during a core committee meeting late Sunday night a consensus would be developed with Muttahida following which the bill would be presented in the house.