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FOREWORD Pakistan‟s peaceful national election in May 2012, in what was generally seen an unwieldy and

complex scene, marked the full term completion of a democratically elected government and

ushering in of democratic transition. The elections saw a massive turn-out, one of the highest in

country‟s history, illustrating the popular sentiment for a new Pakistan with better rule of law,

governance and accountability.

Along with political parties, media and judiciary played a pivotal role in promoting a well informed

role and responsibility of the electorate by highlighting the nation building challenges.

With elections over, country has an amazing flow of energy at the national as well as grass-roots

level to keep the promise for better governance and accountability.

As part of new dynamics the Supreme Court of Pakistan has been fairly active in setting

deadlines for recently established provincial governments to draft local government laws and

conduct elections before the turn of the year. In line with this directive from the highest judicial

body in the country, the provincial governments have initiated rigorous process of drafting local

government legislations to ensure that they devolve political, administrative and financial

responsibility and authority to the local governments.

United Nations Development Program (UNDP) joined hands with Akhter Hameed Khan

Resource Centre (AHKRC) to conduct consultation workshops throughout Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

in order to solicit the opinions of the general public, who are the primary audience, change assets

and beneficiaries, on the procedural elements of the devolution process and its ramifications on

the quality of service delivery. The report in hand brings forward views of the grassroots level on

delimitation of tiers of Local Government; sectoral devolution and functional redistribution; and

interface between elected and non-elected officials of Local Governments.

The hard truth is that community voices have never been a part of the process. The preparation

of this report has in itself exemplified the partnerships that are critical for furthering the cause of

democracy in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in particular and Pakistan in general. Through a series of

consultations, this cooperative, consultative approach has served to sharpen the focus and, I

hope, enhanced the utility and relevance of this report. It is hoped that these recommendations

will not only stimulate more questions and inquiries for the provincial legislators but will also

furnish them with a rational line of action predicated on the popular opinions, in shaping up the

administrative organization of public sector management and local governance in the province.

We have made an effort to bring forth community voices the challenge is to make it stick.

Fayyaz Baqir

Director

Akhter Hameed Khan Resource Centre (AHKRC)

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS What makes this report unique is the fact that it recapitulates a process which offered a veritable

forum for inclusion of community voices in the making of legislative frame work for local

governance in KPK. So, first and foremost, our sincere appreciation for the community members

who came forward and joined the process enthusiastically.

Also the report draws on the cooperative and consultative review effort, involving many players

and carried out over a four-month period. United Nations Development Program in Pakistan and

its governance projects are strategically aligned with the legislative reforms taking place at

various tiers of government. Strengthening Participatory Federalism and Decentralization, a

project of UNDP took lead in initiating the consultative process.

A redeeming feature of the process is that the leading political parties were brought together for a

candid discussion on all aspects of local governance system. Our sincere thanks to the political

parties who sent their senior representatives to consultative sessions. This reassures

commitment of the political parties towards democratic governance through legislative change.

The lawyers from the District Bar Associations offered valuable legal insights during discussion

sessions. Equally worthy of acknowledgement is the role played by NGO‟s, CBO‟s and civil

society members. Optimistic Youth Network and many others not only offered coordination and

support but also assured non-government perspectives in recommendations. Media raised the

profile of the project while audiences offered a solid critique to the whole exercise. Notable

among the print and electronic media followed the process actively. Radio channels are also

worthy of due acknowledgement. Special mention must be made, with gratitude for UNDP

guidance, assistance, contribution, participation and continuing support of the Minister for Local

Government and Rural Development Department, representative of provincial government and

NGOs, who sat through the lively question and answer sessions, to build consensus on the key

issues.

The consultative workshops; the assembly, analysis and construction of data; and drafting of the

report narrative is the result of combined effort of a dedicated and diverse team including. Fayyaz

Baqir, Naseem-ur-Rehman, Mazhar Nawaz, Hamidullah, and Shaleem David. The active

engagement, encouragement, assistance and support of Shahnawaz Khan, Fakhira Khanam,

Asghar Khan, Faheem Ullah Khan, Hashmat Ara and Ayaz Muhammad are much appreciated.

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CONTENTS FOREWORD ...................................................................................................................... i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................. ii

CONTENTS ...................................................................................................................... iii

ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS ............................................................................. iv

GLOSSARY OF TERMS ................................................................................................... v

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................................. vi

1.0 CONTEXTUAL ANALYSIS ....................................................................................... 8

1.1. HISTORY OF DECENTRALIZATION IN PAKISTAN ....................................... 9

1.2. DEVOLUTION ENUNCIATED BY 18TH

CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT 10

1.3. KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA LOCAL GOVERNMENT ACT 2013 ................. 11

2.0 RATIONALE FOR CONSULTATIONS ................................................................... 15

2.1. CONSULTATION OBJECTIVES .................................................................... 15

2.2. CONSULTATION STRATEGY ....................................................................... 15

2.3. CONSULTATION METHODOLOGY .............................................................. 16

2.4. KEY QUESTIONS ........................................................................................... 16

3.0 UNDERSTANDING THE ISSUES .......................................................................... 18

3.1. PARTICIPANTS PERSPECTIVE ON DEVOLUTION ................................... 18

3.2. KEY LEGISLATIVE ISSUES DELIBERATED................................................ 20

4.0 DIALOGUE FACILITATION AMONG STAKEHOLDERS ....................................... 24

4.1. ADDRESS BY MINISTER LOCAL GOVERNMENT KP ................................ 24

4.2. ADDRESS BY SPEAKER PROVINCIAL ASSEMBLY KP ............................ 26

4.3. POINT OF VIEW OF OPPOSITION PARTIES ............................................... 26

5.0 RECOMMENDATIONS FROM GRASSROOTS .................................................... 28

5.1. POLITICAL DEVOLUTION ............................................................................. 28

5.2. ADMINISTRATIVE DEVOLUTION ................................................................. 29

5.3. FINANCIAL DEVOLUTION ............................................................................. 31

5.4. GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS ................................................................ 32

6. CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................ 33

REFERENCES ................................................................................................................ 33

ANNEXES ....................................................................................................................... 35

ANNEXURE 1: CONSULTATION SCHEDULE ......................................................... 35

ANNEXURE 2: NEWS PAPER CLIPPINGS .............................................................. 35

ANNEXURE 3: CONSULTATIONS PARTICIPANT LIST ......................................... 38

ANNEXURE 4: PARTICIPANTS’ FEEDBACK IN WORKSHOPS ............................ 42

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ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS

ACR Annual Confidential Report LGA Local Government Authority

ADP Annual Development Program LGO Local Government Ordinance

AHKRC Akhter Hameed Khan Resource

Centre LG&RDD

Local Government and Rural

Development Department

ANP Awami National Party MNA Member National Assembly

BHU Basic Health Unit MPA Member Provincial Assembly

CCI Council of Common Interests MQM Muttahida Qaumi Movement

CSO Civil Society Organization NGO Non-Government Organization

DCO District Coordination Officer NWFP North West Frontier Province

DDAC District Development Advisory

Committee PML-N Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz

DFC District Finance Commission PTI Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf

DIK Dera Ismail Khan PCCR Parliamentary Committee for

Constitutional Reforms

DPO District Police Officer PFC Provincial Finance Commission

ECP Election Commission of Pakistan PHED Public Health Engineering Department

EDO Executive District Officer PPP Pakistan People‟s Party

FATA Federally Administered Tribal Areas QWP Qaumi Watan Party

GIZ Deutsche Gesellschaft für

Internationale Zusammenarbeit RHC Rural Health Centre

IYF Innovative Youth Forum RIC Reforms Implementation Cell

JI Jamat-e-Islami SRSP Sarhad Rural Support Program

JUI-F Jamiat-e-Ulema-e-Islam-Fazal-ur-

Rehman TMA Tehsil Municipal Administration

KP Khyber Pakhtunkhwa UC Union Council

LG Local Government UNDP United Nations Development Program

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GLOSSARY OF TERMS

Anjuman Assembly, association or gathering

Bait-ul-Mal Islamic financial institution that administers distribution of zakat

revenues for public works

City

District

A district that consists primarily or entirely of a major city or large

metropolitan area

Jirga An assembly (tribal) of reputed elders which takes decisions by

consensus

Nazim Chief elected official of local government/Mayor

Naib

Nazim

Assistant/deputy to the Nazim/Deputy Mayor

Tehsil

An administrative division/entity of Local Government consisting of an

area of land with a city or town as its headquarters

Thana Police station/geographic unit controlled by police

Ushr Islamic land tax

Zakat Practice of charitable giving by Muslims based on accumulated wealth

Zilla District (unit of Government above Tehsil and Union Council)

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The concept of decentralized local governments is not new to Pakistan; however, this time

around it is being implemented with the participation and engagement of democratically elected

provincial governments under the constitutional amendment approved with the consensus of all

the political parties. The three most significant decentralization reforms in the six decades old

history of Pakistan were introduced by authoritarian military regimes in 1959, 1979 and 2001

respectively. The 18th Amendment passed under a democratic dispensation in April, 2010 was

billed as the most comprehensive reform package in Pakistan. The aim was to repeal the 17th

Amendment and reform the Constitution in the light of the Charter of Democracy. The Charter

recognized the importance of subsidiarity and called for establishment of local government

systems in the provinces.

The 18th Amendment has introduced important steps towards the devolution of authority to local

government under Article 140-A. The constitution defines four parameters - political,

administrative, financial and electoral - for devolving power to elected Local Government.

Accordingly, the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa engaged in a rigorous process of drafting

legislation for the Local Government Act, 2013. Against this backdrop, United Nations

Development Program (UNDP) and Akhter Hameed Khan Resource Centre (AHKRC) grasped

the opportunity to organize consultation workshops in Dera Ismail Khan, Abbottabad, Swat and

Peshawar to receive feedback from grassroots level about the draft legislation on devolution

process so that a legislative framework in line with the sentiments of the general public can be

prepared and shared with the legislators.

A common thread running through all the consultations that, the participants strongly supported

was the uniformity of electoral system. Most of the participants demanded that measures should

be taken to prevent floor crossing and horse trading. The most debated topic of discussion in all

the workshops was the devolution of fiscal and administrative authorities and responsibilities to

the elected representatives in line with the Constitution of Pakistan. The participants came up

with pragmatic suggestions regarding the mechanisms of granting autonomy to the local

governments in true sense of the word. It was argued that localization and personalization of

power ought to be discouraged through effective legislation; and accountability and transparency

must be ensured to guarantee efficient and quality delivery of public services. The fora

unanimously agreed that effective devolution could only be achieved through participatory

consensus based decision-making. We are glad to mention here that most of the

recommendations made by the workshops participants were incorporated in the Local

Government Act 2013 passed by KP Assembly.

Contextual Analysis History of Decentralization in Pakistan

Devolution Enunciated by 18th Constitutional Amendment

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Local Government Act, 2013

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1.0 CONTEXTUAL ANALYSIS

Pakistan is a federal republic comprising four provinces: Sindh, Punjab, Balochistan and

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). In addition to these four provinces, country has federally

Administrated tribal Areas (FATA), Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).

Federalism envisages division of political power territorially in a constitutional way in which

every part of the federation is regarded as a unitary state with its own internal system of local

government (Smith, 1985). In contemporary literature the concept of „unitary state‟ has been

replaced with „autonomous state‟ with more relevance to changing governance mechanisms.

Devolution to local governments is referred to as one of the four major forms of

Decentralization (Mathur, 1983); the other three being de-concentration, delegation to semi-

autonomous or para-statal agencies and transfer of functions from public to non-government

institutions. Devolution of power implies transfer of authority to sub-national governments

electorally accountable to the sub-national populations (Turner & Hulme, 1997).

Pakistan‟s history is checked with political instability and frequent administrative changes. While

independence movement was driven by political party mobilizations at the grassroots level,

however, post-independence, there was little emphasis on local governments. The limited scope

and authority of local governments that existed were controlled and superseded by the central

bureaucracy by not holding elections and where elections were held, by limited „franchise‟ and

massive malpractices (Waseem M. , 2007). During the decade of the 1950s, weakening of local

governments coincided with increasing centralization and a centre was increasingly dominated

by the symbiotic nexus forged between the civil and military bureaucracy (Jalal, 1995). Politically

centralizing factors strengthened due to numerous changes in governments including four major

military coups and wars with India in 1948, 1965 and 1971 led Pakistan to extremely centralized

decision making mechanisms (Talbot, 2009). Elements of welfare state dropped down in

priorities list and Pakistan‟s political discourse was highly influenced by its security concerns.

The three most significant decentralization reforms in the six decades old history of Pakistan

were introduced by authoritarian military regimes in 1959, 1979 and 2001 respectively. These

systems had five stark similarities (Bhatti, 2013):

i. Military governments installed all the three systems of local government in Pakistan.

ii. First local body elections were held in the absence of any other forum of the elected

government at provincial or federal levels.

iii. Local government systems were incubated by the federal governments bypassing the

provincial tier of governance.

iv. Local government systems were deployed as a “ladder of legitimacy” by successive

military governments in Pakistan.

v. Local governments systems were used as a tool to extend central authority of the

federation to the district and local levels which, according to some studies, led to over-

centralized governance structures in Pakistan.

This led to apprehensions, hostility and mistrust about devolution of power to local government

among political parties.

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1.1. HISTORY OF DECENTRALIZATION IN PAKISTAN A brief glimpse of the three local government reforms introduced by military regimes, given

below, shows why political parties had a high level of mistrust in devolution of power to local

government in Pakistan.

1.1.1. Basic Democracies System, 1959

In 1958, General Ayub Khan, Pakistan‟s first Martial Law Administrator, disbanded national and

provincial assemblies and revived local governments as the only representative tier of

government. The new local governments comprised of a hierarchical system of four linked tiers.

The lowest tier of Union Councils consisted of members elected on the basis of adult franchise

who, in turn, elected a chairman from amongst themselves. The higher tiers of local government

had some members elected indirectly by these directly elected members and some official

members nominated by the Government (Rizvi, 1976).

In the pursuit of legitimacy, the 1962 Constitution explicitly linked the office of the President to the

newly created local bodies by declaring the 80,000 Basic Democrats as the Electoral College for

the election of the President and national and provincial assemblies. Based on the concept of

“controlled democracy”, the bureaucracy was supposed to guide the politicians while resisting

their corrosive influences.

At the level of local governments, a legislative divide was maintained between urban areas,

which were governed through the Municipal Administration Ordinance (1960), and the rural areas

governed by the Basic Democracies Ordinance (1959). In a bid to secure electoral mandate, the

share of targeted provincial and federal development resources was increased in favor of rural

areas (Ahmed & Amjad, 1984).

However, the system of Basic Democracies was knocked down in 1969 as it failed to mobilize

the rural population around the institutions of national integration. Its focus was on a centralized

economic planning and development which led to regional disparities resulting in widespread

political discontent.

1.1.2. Local Government Reforms, 1979

Local governments were revived under General Zia-ul-Haq‟s military regime through the

promulgation of Local Government Ordinances (LGOs) and local bodies were elected in all four

provinces during 1979 and 1980. The functions and financial powers assigned to local

governments were in coherence with those delegated in the Basic Democracies system.

The direct representation of the bureaucracy in local governments as members and chairmen

was abolished and instead stipulated that all members of all tiers of local government were to be

directly elected through adult franchise. However, the local elections were organized on non-

party basis which resulted in personalization of politics and strengthened the regimes of

individual and tribal patronage at the local level (Wilder, 1999). The rural-urban divide persisted

at the level of rural or district councils, town and municipal committees and corporations.

After the revival of elected federal and provincial assemblies in 1985, the absence of political

linkages among different tiers of government, an outcome of non-party based local electoral

system, widened the chasm between provincial and local tier which was seen as a competing

structure of patronage.

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1.1.3. The Evolutionary Epoch (1985-1999)

Between 1988 and 1999, the concentration of buoyant revenues in the hands of the federal and

provincial governments created a discount with regard to the sense of ownership on part of the

local tier. The provincial governments pre-empted the functions of local governments in

delivering local services such as water supply, sanitation, land development etc. This resulted in

constraining the financial capacity of local governments and led to the suspension of local bodies

between 1993 and 1998 (World Bank, 2000).

1.1.4. Devolution of Power Plan, 2001

The Devolution of Power Plan by General (Retired) Pervaiz Musharraf culminated into the

provincial governments promulgating the Local Government Ordinance, 2001 in their respective

provinces to establish a new local government system with effect from August 14, 2001.

Under the plan, the District Coordination Officer (DCO) was designated to report directly to the

elected head of the government (Nazim) at district level. Simultaneously, the DCO no longer

retained the executive magistracy and revenue collection powers. Vast majority of public services

previously under the purview of the de-concentrated district administration were transferred to

elected local governments.

Both the members and heads of the basic tier of government, the union council, were elected

through public vote who, in turn, indirectly selected the head of the district government, the

District Nazim. The provincial powers and responsibilities were devolved to the district and sub-

district levels of governments but no decentralization of any federal powers to either the

provincial or local levels was undertaken.

The decentralization process was not uniform across the board, with significant heterogeneity in

its extent not only across administrative departments but also across services within a

department. The reform took place fairly rapidly under the military rule and at the time when no

provincial and federal elected governments were in power. This created a void in integrating the

newly elected local government with the soon to be elected provincial/federal governments.

1.2. DEVOLUTION ENUNCIATED BY 18TH CONSTITUTIONAL

AMENDMENT The 18

th Amendment passed in April, 2010 was billed as the most comprehensive reform

package after the passage of the 1973 Constitution. The aim was to repeal the 17th Amendment

and reform the Constitution in the light of the Charter of Democracy. The Charter provided the

work-plan for the Parliamentary Committee for Constitutional Reforms (PCCR). It recognized the

importance of subsidiarity by asserting that: “Local bodies election will be held on party basis

through provincial election commissions in respective provinces and constitutional protection will

be given to the local bodies to make them autonomous and answerable to their respective

assemblies as well as to the people through regular courts of law” (Waseem M. , 2010). The

mainstream parties in the country had signed the Charter in London in May, 2006 to pave the

way for democratic transition.

The Constitution (18th Amendment) Act, 2010 was finalized by the 26 member PCCR headed by

Senator Raza Rabbani (Hamid, 2010). As deliberated by Mr. Rabbani, this “negotiated legislative

revolution has changed more that 36% (102 Articles) contents of the Constitution, which is the

first ever home-grown initiative to reclaim the original federal character and spirit of the country

(Khan, 2013).

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The 18th Amendment has introduced important steps towards the devolution of authority and

enhancing provincial autonomy. It removed the Concurrent Legislative List that was a bone of

contention between the federation and the provinces. Article 140-A adopted in the constitution

via the 18th Amendment stipulates:

“Each province shall, by law, establish a local government system and devolve political,

administrative and financial responsibility and authority to the elected representatives of the local

government. (2) Elections to the local governments shall be held by the election commission of

Pakistan.”

Furthermore, the Article 32 of Principles of Policy asks the State to encourage local government

institutions composed of elected representatives of the areas concerned and give special

representation to minorities, peasants, workers and women in such institutions. Similarly, Article

37(i) calls for decentralization of government administration on the axis of expeditious disposal of

business for convenience of people.

Hence, the Constitution categorically defines four parameters for elected Local Government that

it has to have political, administrative, financial and electoral responsibility and authority (Bhatti,

2013):

i. Devolution of Political Responsibility and Authority: The political aspect corresponds

to the regulative and policy related responsibilities and authorities to be devolved to the

local government(s).

ii. Devolution of Administrative Responsibility and Authority: The administrative aspect

relates to executive responsibilities and authorities in the course of every-day functioning

of the local government(s).

iii. Devolution of Financial Responsibility and Authority: The fiscal component relates to

the revenue and expenditure assignments of the local government(s).

iv. Devolution of Responsibility and Authority to the Elected Representatives of Local

Government: This component clearly establishes that the devolution of responsibilities

and authorities of all the functions should be assigned to the elected representatives of

the local government.

1.3. KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA LOCAL GOVERNMENT ACT 2013 Following the elections, a new sense of urgency was palpable for strength seeing local

government the provinces found themselves in a vivtnal race to do better. KPK took lead to

estimate in real earnest as have PTI, which won the most seats, emerged on the scene without

any baggage. The process was given a boost in KPK by the UNDP initiative for federalism and

The Local Government Act, 2013 was passed by the Provincial Assembly on October, 30, 2013

(Buneri, 2013). AHKRC with the help of UNDP organized a series of consultations with

representatives of political parties, government officials, members of academic community,

media and civil society a candid dialogue on the subjects and functions to be devolved from

provincial to local government stipulated under the 18th Amendment. Detailed discussion on the

draft bill was made possible due to technical assistance received from Secretary, Local

Government, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Technical Working Group Members.

The Chief Secretary Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Arbab Muhammad Shehzad of Reforms

Implementation Cell (RIC), had established Working Groups for Education, Health, Local

Government & Rural and E-Governance to accomplish the mission of the Provincial government.

The Working Group in local government and rural development sector were enriched by

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participation of top political leadership including Inayatuallh Khan (Minister for Local Government

and Rural Development Department) as Chairman, Shahram Khan Tarakai (Minister for

Agriculture), Member, Yousaf Ayub (Minister for Communication and Works), Member, Shafqat

Mehmood, (Member National Assembly), Member, Ms. Aneesa Zeb Tahirkheli (Member

Provincial Assembly), Member, Hifzur Rahman (Secretary Administration), Member, Rahmat

Ghazi, Member, Ali Asghar Khan, Member, Dr. Iqbal Khalil, Member, Fariduddin Ahmad,

Member, Mukhtar Javed, Member, Ms. Mayuam Bibi, Member and Syed Said Badshah Bukhari

(Secretary Local Government) as Member/Secretary.

The Working Group was responsible for preparing the draft of Local Government Bill. After the

completion of legal proceedings, it was approved by the cabinet and later taken up by the KP

Assembly. The new Act incorporated most of the recommendations received during the

consultation process initiated by UNDP and AHKRC. The Act envisages that the local body polls

will be held under the new law instead of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Local Government Ordinance,

2001.Consultation is also being carried out with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in

this regard. An overview of this draft is mentioned below:

1.3.1. District Government

District Government is mandated to provide and manage social services including water,

sanitation, sewerage, education and health.

District Council and District Administration will be made up of the devolved offices with

Executive Authority vested in Chairman District Council. The Chairman will look after the

operation, management, financial and administrative control of devolved offices and will

be responsible to the people and Government for improvement of governance and

delivery of services.

1.3.2. Tehsil Government

Supervisory role, provision of municipal services (streets, roads, water supply etc.) and

development of infrastructure will be the obligation of tehsil government.

1.3.3. Village and Neighbourhood Councils

This will be the lowest tier of government (replacing Union Council) and comprise of 4,000 to

8,000 elected officials with Chairman and Vice-Chairman as its leaders. The delimitation of the

village councils will be done for the first time. These councils will monitor and supervise the

performance of functionaries of government departments located in the area of the council

including education, health, engineering, agriculture, livestock policy and revenue.

1.3.4. Grants and Fiscal Transfer Framework

Provincial Finance Commission (PFC) comprising of 12 members including Minister of Finance

(Chairman), Minister Local Government, two members of Provincial Assembly nominated by

Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition, Secretaries to Government, Finance, P&D and Local

Government (LG) Departments, Two Chairmen District Councils and Two Chairman Tehsil

Councils will be constituted.

The PFC will make recommendations to the Government on the amount of Local Government

Grant out of Provincial Consolidated Fund in a financial year in addition to the grant in lieu of

Octroi and Zilla Tax. Development grant for local governments shall be so determined that it is

not less than 50% of the total development budget of the province in a given year. Grants to local

government will be predicated on the criteria of poverty, population, and infrastructure lag and

revenue base.

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1.3.5. Elections and Franchise

District and Tehsil Councils

i. Direct elections to general seats of both District and Tehsil Councils will be held

on bases of Wards. 33% for women, 5% for peasants and workers, 5% for

minorities and 5% seats will be reserved for youth.

ii. Elections to district and Tehsil Councils will be held on party basis and a political

party shall be eligible to obtain an election symbol for contesting the elections.

iii. There will be single member territorial wards for general seats in Tehsil and

District Council and District and Tehsil single ward for all seats reserved for

women, peasants and non-Muslims.

iv. Members will fill reserved seats, elected through proportional representation

system of political parties list of candidates, on the basis of the total number of

general seats by each political party.

v. Electoral College for the election of Chairman and Vice chairman District and

Tehsil Council shall be members of respective council.

Village and Neighbourhood Councils

i. Direct elections on non-party basis through adult franchise, joint electorate and

free list system will be conducted for Village and Neighbourhood Councils.

ii. Candidates obtaining highest and 2nd

highest votes will be designated as

Chairperson and Vice Chairperson.

iii. The councils will consist of General Seats (Muslims) for 5 to 10 members. 2 seats

for women, 1 for peasants and workers, 1 for minorities and 1 seat will be

reserved for youth.

Rationale for Consultations Objectives

Strategy

Methodology

Key Questions

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2.0 RATIONALE FOR CONSULTATIONS

Inspired by 18th constitutional amendment and the country‟s quest to optimize opportunities to

improve service delivery mechanisms through democratic and parliamentary instruments of

decision-making, UNDP embarked upon the project titled “Strengthening Participatory

Federalism and Decentralization” to inform, facilitate, support and maximize the process of

transition-management at federal, provincial and grassroots level. Driven by thses objectives

UNDP supported the process of holding a series of consultation meetings in four major regions of

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) including Dera Ismail Khan (DI Khan), Peshawar, Hazara and

Malakand regions. AHKRC collaborated with UNDP to set in motionthe process of

Consultations.Diologues between community, elected representatives and government officials

were convened in D.I.Khan , Abbottabad, Swat and Peshawar with great success. The current

report entails a brief account of the rationale, strategy, proceedings and recommendations of

these consultations.

2.1. CONSULTATION OBJECTIVES The main objectives of the consultations, in line with UNDP‟s initiative on Strengthening

Federalism were as follows:

i. To facilitate consensus based legislation by provincial law makers in KP

ii. To generate discussion on the context of devolving power to Local Government

Authorities (LGAs) as defined by Article 140-A of the Constitution of Islamic Republic of

Pakistan

iii. To exchange views on appropriate number of tiers for Local Government, size and

boundaries of each tier, criteria for deciding the level of each tier and devolution of

sectors and functions to various tiers

2.2. CONSULTATION STRATEGY AHKRC engaged all the key stakeholders in the consultation process and ensured their

maximum involvement to receive meaningful response on the proposed Local Government Act.

For this purpose, small scale meetings were conducted with eminent people from all walks of life

in order to sensitize them of their responsibility to bring their opinions to the forefront with regard

to the local government system in the province. They were informed that this was a crucial

opportunity for them to raise their voice and play a key role in framing a system in accordance to

the public will, whims and demands. Letters of invitation were circulated and all the invitees,

ensuring their participation, were reminded through electronic mails, telephone calls and Mobile-

Text-Messages/ Short Messaging Service (SMS) of their commitment prior to the days of holding

the workshops.

2.2.1. Participants in Consultation

The consultation meetings were attended by more than 200 participants including the Minister for

Local Government and Rural Development Department, Mr. Inayatullah Khan, Speaker

Provincial Assembly KP, Mr. Asad Qaiser, representatives of mainstream coalition and

opposition political parties of the country as well as the region (Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf,

Pakistan People‟s Party, Pakistan Muslim League-N, Muttahida Ulema Council, Jamaat-e-Islami,

Jamiat-e-Ulema-e-Islam-F, Awami National Party, Muttahida Qaumi Movement, Qaumi Watan

Party, Tehreek-Suba Hazara Pakistan, Global Peace Council, Swat Qaumi Jirga, Sraiki Lok

Party), members of Working Group in local government and rural development sector, serving as

well as retired public servants, academia, department heads of local government institutions

16

(Local Government and Rural Development Department-LGRDD), Civil Society Organizations

(CSOs), (Rise International, Sarhad Rural Support Program, Sungi Development Foundation,

Women Commission, Swat Active Youth Society, Innovative Youth Forum, Optimistic Youth

Network, GIZ, First Women Jirga, The Awakening), lawyers from the district bar association,

former councilors, minorities and print and electronic media personnel (Express News, Geo

News, Daily Mezan-e-Adl, ARY News, Dunya News, PTV, Daily Shamal, Daily Aitidal, Daily

Auqaf, Daily Dawn, Daily Statesman, Daily Mashriq, Daily Akhbar-e-Khabar, Daily Nai Baat,

Daily Payam-e-Noor, Daily Sarhad Times, Daily Darpan). For Details, See Annexures. The

overwhelming participation of women, coming from diverse backgrounds, was a very important

indicator of their perception that they were key stakeholder in the decision making process

revolving around bottom-up democratic approaches.

2.3. CONSULTATION METHODOLOGY The methodology was designed to ensure meaningful participation without any discrimination. In

line with the principles of democratic discourse, two way communication was ensured whereby

the participants were encouraged to ask questions, give their views and share their experiences.

The participants were informed, through presentations, about the context and constitutional

requirements of Article 140- A and the redistribution of subjects and functions between various

tiers of government.

The Draft Policy Framework on Local Development in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa developed by the

high-powered working group was also presented and explained to the participants. They were

then engaged in healthy discussions, through group work, presentations and one-to-one

interactions, regarding the devolution of responsibilities and authorities of all the functions to the

elected representatives and its implications in the wake of Article 140-A. The participants were

divided into three groups. Each group presented their views and further discussion was carried

out on their suggestions and opinions.

2.4. KEY QUESTIONS To facilitate the discussion, the participants were asked to respond the following key questions:

Question 1

a) What sectors do we want to devolve from the provincial to local government?

b) What functions in each sector we want to devolve to various tiers of local government?

Question 2

Article 140-A has mentioned to “devolve political, administrative and financial responsibility and

authority to the elected representatives of the local governments” however, administrative and

financial functions are not being performed by elected representatives at provincial level. So,

the participants were asked to determine how these functions could be devolved to elected

representatives at local level and what would be its implications needs to be thoroughly

reviewed due to the serious nature of its consequences.

Question 3

Bearing in mind that any legislation done by a province is open to judicial review, the

participants were reminded to make decisions in line with the sub-clause stating that the

province should “devolve political, administrative and financial responsibility and authority to the

elected representatives of the local governments” could be challenged in the court of law and

delay and derail the process of devolution to local governments and local bodies elections.

Understanding Issues Perspective Participants Key Legislative Issues Deliberated

18

Municipal courts should

be established to

regulate encroachment,

inflation and other

municipal laws.

Zafran Hussain

(Pakistan People’s

Party)

Election at Village

Council level should be

held on party basis and

seats for women should

be increased from 33%

to 50%.

Faheem Iqbal

(Advocate)

Minimum educational

qualification for the

District and Tehsil

Chairmen should be

Graduation.

M. Saeed

(Social Worker)

3.0 UNDERSTANDING THE ISSUES

3.1. PARTICIPANTS PERSPECTIVE ON DEVOLUTION The views of the participants on the question of devolution generated a lively debate. The views

touched on different issues relating to the structure and organization of government. The

following is an executive summary of the views:

Benefits should be apportioned from resources between the district government and

village councils where such resources are found.

Almost all the participants agreed on Village Council as the lowest tier of government.

There was wide support for local government, which people said should be strengthened

to support the state in administrative, management and development at the local level. ·

The Budget should be done from the grassroots level to the top.

All councilors should be elected on party basis through adult franchise and joint

electorate.

The Chairmen of District and Tehsil Councils should be elected directly by the people.

The councilors should be required to have certain minimum educational qualifications.

There should be a certain proportion of women in Provincial and District Finance

Commissions.

Some articulated that the Local Government Ordinance, 2001 should be implemented

with amendments instead of it being abolished.

Others were in favour of filling reserved seats on proportional basis.

Annual Development Programs (ADPs) should be shared with the members of village

councils in order to avoid duplication and prevent the wastage of development funds.

District Finance Commission should be established at district level to ensure an amicable

and equitable distribution of financial resources.

Monitoring and supervisory mechanisms should be strengthened to ensure

accountability, transparency and efficient delivery of public services at the grassroots

level.

Persons with Disabilities should have reserved seats in the Village, Tehsil and District

Councils as they form 15% to 18% of the total population in the country.

The delimitation of village councils should be pursued on the basis of population and not

on the basis of geographic area.

19

Honorarium must be

granted to the Union

Councilors to get rid of

the dreaded menace of

corruption.

Rubina Naz

(Women Commission)

Framework should be

developed to ensure

compatibility of the LG

Act with the existing

civil service structure by

transferring fiscal and

administrative

authorities to the

elected represent-

atives. Nobat Khan

(MQM)

Revenue assignment

and Expenditure

assignment must be

given due manifestation

in the proposed KP LG

Act 2013.

Naznin Shad

(PARD Peshawar)

The main aspects of

the Local Government

System should be

publicized in the print

and electronic media

for the common people

in their language.

Kamran Haider

(Former Councilor)

Regular capacity

building programs

should be initiated for

the Union Council

members, Tehsil and

District Chairman,

common public and all

other stakeholders.

M. Ashfaq

(Advocate)

The District and Tehsil

Chairmen should be

directly elected through

adult franchise and joint

electorate

Habibullah Wazir

(Additional Collector)

The right to impeach

the District and Tehsil

Chairmen should be

granted to the

Councilors to ensure

accountability.

M. Siddique

(Former Councilor)

Consensus should be

developed among the

local leaders and

members of assemblies

on power sharing and

linkages.

Latifullah

(Retd. Civil Servant)

Legislation should be

carried out to ensure

the continuity of the

local government

system but it should be

in accordance with

changing times.

Irfan Mughal

(Ary News)

Development plans

should be implemented

by respective councils

minimizing allocation of

resources to MPAs and

MNAs.

Naila Nazir (Asst.

Professor Peshawar

University)

Equal financial funds

should be granted to

the Village Councils to

discourage corruption.

Ijaz Ahmad

(Qaumi Watan Party)

Public should be

facilitated on the day of

election as a voter will

have to caste 7 votes.

Usman Ghani

(Sarhad Rural

Support Program)

20

3.2. KEY LEGISLATIVE ISSUES DELIBERATED

The key issues discussed in the meetings included the history and background of devolution, the

size and character of devolved units, the institutions and structures of devolved government, the

powers and functions of devolved units, financing of devolved units, the place of marginalized

groups and communities in the devolved system of government, and the process of

implementing the devolved system of government.

The proposal for Devolution of Power by the government of KP was supported in principle. The

participants of workshops felt that the suggestions and recommendations coming from the

grassroots level should be incorporated and taken into consideration to make the proposed

legislation responsive to local concerns. It was urged very strongly to create viable structures that

would promote equitable resource allocation, accountable governance, delivery of public services

and the empowerment of the people.

3.2.1. Tiers of Government

The delegates were predominantly in the support of Village and Neighbourhood Councils as the

lowest tier of government. It was suggested that their delimitation should be carried out on the

basis of population. Some participants favoured a three-tier devolution structure (district, tehsil

and village and neighbourhood council) while others were of the view that it should be a two-tier

devolution structure (district government and village and neighbourhood councils) by abolishing

the tehsil tier or integrating it with the district. It was generally proposed that there ought to be

comparable social and economic resources for the proposed units of devolution.

3.2.2. Understanding Constitutional Requirements of Devolution

The Articles 140-A, 32 and 37(i) were discussed with the participants at length. Some of the

people had limited knowledge and level of comprehension about devolution, its underlying

aspects and the constitutional provision related to it. It was felt that regular capacity building

endeavors were the need of the hour in developing the political knowledge of the general public

at the grass roots level. It was discussed that this would lead to the realization of their rights as

well as duties which would benefit in the efficient functioning of local governments.

3.2.3. Functions of Devolved Government

Some delegates were of the view that District Councils ought to have legislative power devolved

to them while others were of the view that the Provincial assembly ought to handle all legislative

issues of the devolved government. Some participants argued in favour of devolving functions

police, minerals, tourism and forestry departments to the district governments. One of the

participants suggested that documentation of current facilities and quality of services as well

resources and local priorities should be devolved to the tiers of local government. It was asserted

that the Village and Neighbourhood Councils should be given tax collection authority and 40% of

the revenue generated thus should be spent on the Union Council (UC) while the remaining may

be transferred to the district councils. It was proposed that the Disaster Management and

Response Department along with the Forest and Environment Department should be devolved to

the lowest tier. It was also proposed that Zakat and Bait-ul-Mal fund should be distributed

through democratic process by allocating it to the local village council which should be

responsible to select the deserving individuals.

3.2.4. Delimitation of Wards

The fora asserted that a consultation mechanism ought to be set up for taking the general public

on board. It was unanimously agreed that the delimitation of wards should be pursued on the

21

basis of population. One of the participants put forth the idea that the population of Village and

Neighbourhood Council‟s should not be more than 20,000. It was argued that one Union Council

should comprise of at the most two village councils to reduce the number of Village and

Neighbourhood Councils by half.

3.2.5. Coordination among Stakeholders

The delegates discussed that the political linkages among the members of Village/Union councils

and the Members of Provincial Assembly (MPAs) or Members of National Assembly (MNAs)

should be strengthened and the tussle to overpower one‟s rivals in the quest to localize and

personalize power by virtue of clienteles‟ politics may be abolished.

3.2.6. Financial Arrangements

Some of the participants proposed that District Finance Commission may be constituted in order

to decentralize the fiscal matters including the handling and expenditure of funds. The delegates

appreciated the current government‟s efforts and planning to ensure that development grant for

local governments should not be less than 50% of the total development budget of the province

in a given year. Another suggestion was that women should have representation in the Provincial

Finance Commission (PFC) as well District Finance Commission (DFC). It was also proposed

that district monitoring and evaluation councils should be formed with the inclusion of civil society

representatives in order to promote transparency, inclusion and accountability.

3.2.7. Taxation

The forum felt that in order to mobilize and generate revenue and reduce dependence on the

provincial government, taxes should be levied at the Union Council level on natural resources

such as forests, minerals, water and tourism. It was suggested that the terminology of “Tax”

should be replaced by “Service Charges” and based upon the previous system of Usher that had

existed in the area during the mid-nineteenth century. Some delegates strongly opposed the

employment of any sort of tax regime at the local level while others professed the implementation

of Pakistan Income Tax Act, 1932 in Swat.

3.2.8. Administration of Devolved Units

It was proposed that local government service commission should be established to provide

personnel to the devolved units. The tenure, academic and age qualifications for the

administrators should also be specified. The participants also argued that the District

Coordination Officer (DCO) and District Police Officer (DPO) should report to the chairman of

District Council. Some delegates were of the opinion that the Police department should be

independent to ensure transparency and rule of law. The fora proposed that District, Tehsil and

UC coordination officers should be designated to improve the coordination among district, tehsil

and village councils. It was suggested that the Chairman of Village and Neighbourhood Council

should be promoted to scale 14 to ensure efficiency and transparency.

3.2.9. Participation of Women

Women from different walks of life present in the meeting, expressed their views and demanded

equal participation of women in the local government system. The Founder and Chairperson of

First Women Jirga proposed that the elimination of violence and all forms of discrimination

against women should be the responsibility of the village and neighbourhood council. Besides, it

was suggested that the women should be granted ample representation in the reconciliatory

committees at the local level to enable them stand for the safeguard of their rights. It was also

discussed that it should be the responsibility of the lowest tier of local government to facilitate the

women with any easy access to Bait-ul-Mal.

3.2.10. Electoral Process

22

Some participants were in favour of holding the election at all the three tiers of local government

(village and neighbourhood council, tehsil and district) on non-party basis. The argument put

forward was that the vested and clientelist interests of political parties was a hurdle towards

transferring the benefits of the LG system to the grassroots level and un-equal distribution of

development funds. The opponents of this debate were of the view that the even the non-party

candidates and local representatives had clandestine affiliations with political parties so it was

better to hold the elections on party basis to avoid the localization and personalization of power.

Another suggestion was that the Chairmen of Tehsil and District Councils should be elected

directly and an educational qualification should be specified for their offices. It was also

discussed that the tenure for the local governments should be from 4-5 years duration by giving

the system ample amount of time to mature and reciprocate to the demands of the modern times.

3.2.11. Challenges to Devolution

During the workshops, the main challenges facing devolution were discussed including

inadequate resources to support the effective implementation of devolution, political resistance to

the implementation of devolution, lack of a common understanding of the roles of the different

institutions involved in the implementation. In addition, some of the challenges being faced are

mentioned below:

Lack of rule of law

Lack of awareness about local government system, concept, spirit and working

Non-implementation of accountability, mechanism as provided in law

Lack of political will to strengthen the grassroots level of resolution of local problems

Prevailing political rivalry amongst the local leaders and members of assemblies on

power-sharing and artificial supremacy

Doing and un-doing the LG system by the political parties in power-lack of continuation of

the system (gaps, intervals etc.)

Undue interference in the functioning of LG institutions by political elites, bureaucracy,

influential people and press

People‟s attitude towards LG not realistic rather aggressive, selfish and humiliating

Non-merit based staff induction at all tiers and frequent transfers against the prescribed

policy of government and over-staffing

Local taxes neither encouraged nor levied through the process of law

Financial constraints and wastage of value resources

Non-observance of municipal code

Moral corruption

Poor managerial qualities of the departmental heads of local government institutions and

poor coordination

Dialogue Facilitation among Stakeholders

Minister Local Government KP Speaker Provincial Assembly KP Point of View of the Opposition Parties

24

4.0 DIALOGUE FACILITATION AMONG

STAKEHOLDERS

One of the most significant features of the consultative meetings was the participation of key

Government officials and representatives from the ruling, coalition and opposition political

parties. Members of the Working Group in Local Government and Rural Development who had

been designated the task of framing the Local Government Act, 2013 were also present. Mr.

Inayatullah Khan, Minister Local Government and Rural Development Department (LG&RDD),

along with Speaker Provincial Assembly KP, Mr. Asad Qaiser, also graced the consultation with

their presence. The Government luminaries not only informed the audience with recent

developments, procedures, processes, consultations, matters of agreement and contest; but also

responded to the queries raised by the participants from different segments of society regarding

the local government legislation.

4.1. ADDRESS BY MINISTER LOCAL GOVERNMENT KP Addressing the inaugural session of the final workshop held in Peshawar on October 30, 2013,

Mr. Inayatullah Khan, Minister for Local Government and Rural Development Department

(LG&RDD) KP, said that the inclusion of the public sentiment to firm up a solid program would go

a long way in fostering the true spirit of devolution of power. At the same time, he said, the KP

government had been holding consultative meetings for the last five days to finalize the Act

through consensus. The issue of holding elections on party or non-party basis was expected to

be resolved pretty soon, he said.

While talking to the participants of the consultation forum, the Minister unveiled the proposed

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Local Government Act, 2013 provided for direct elections on general seats

of District and Tehsil Councils. He informed the audience that the proposed bill envisaged filling

of the reserved seats in Tehsil and District Councils on the basis of proportional representation

system of party`s list of candidates on the pattern similar to that of filling such seats in the

national and provincial assemblies.

A major innovation in the bill, he said, was the replacement of Union Councils by Village Councils

in rural areas and Neighbourhood Councils in urban areas. The new law envisaged establishing

3,500 villages and neighbourhood councils across the province with population ranging between

2,000 and 10,000. The wards for the general seats in tehsil council and district council would be

single member territorial wards. He further added that the elections of all the local councils would

be held on the basis of joint electorate and adult franchise. However, the polls for village and

neighbourhood councils would be held on non-party basis whereas rest of the councils would be

on party-basis.

He clarified that each Tehsil or District would be a single ward for all seats reserved for women,

peasants and workers, youth and non-Muslims allocated to the tehsil or district. Furthermore,

Members to fill seats reserved for women, peasants and workers, youth and non-Muslims in the

tehsil council and district council would be elected through proportional representation system of

political parties` list of candidates on the basis of the total number of general seats secured by

each political party in the respective local council.

The Minister noted that the Electoral College for the election of Nazim and Naib Nazim of a

district and tehsil councils would be all the members of the district and tehsil councils

25

respectively. He articulated that the proposed law envisaged that the elections to district and

tehsil councils would be held on party basis and a political party shall be eligible to obtain an

election symbol for contesting these elections.

It also empowered a member elected on independent basis to join any political party within three

days of the publication in official gazette of the names of the returned candidates and the total

number of seats won by a political party would also include those independents.

Mr. Inayatullah stated that under the proposed law the provincial government would within 60

days of the commencement of the law notify village and neighbourhood councils in all districts.

Each village and neighbourhood council would comprise 10 to 15 members, including five to 10

Muslim members, determined on the basis of population, elected to general seats; two members

elected to seats reserved for women; and one member each elected to seat reserved for

peasants and workers, youth and non-Muslims.

The village and neighbourhood councils would be multi-member wards for election of members

and the candidates securing the highest and second highest number of votes in the election on

general seats of the village and neighbourhood councils, would respectively be the Nazim and

Naib Nazim of that council.

Another important initiative, he added, was the activation and strengthening of District

Development Advisory Committee (DDAC). The Deputy Commissioner would be the Secretary of

the committee and would go a long way in the formulation of an effective coordination

mechanism among the Members Provincial Assemblies (MPAs) and Nazims District and tehsil

Councils. He told the gathering that the committee had the mandate to discuss all the issues

pertinent to the district regarding law and order situation, fiscal matters, and administrative

procedures etc. but had not been bestowed the authority to strike down decisions taken by the

District Councils, thus, granting flexible impunity to the local governments and also ensuring

transparency and accountability.

In responding to the questions of the participants, Mr. Inayatullah said that the District Nazim had

been granted authority over the Deputy Commissioner who was supposed to report directly to

the elected representative and the Nazim reserved the prerogative to present his Annual

Confidential Report (ACR). He said that the District Finance Commission (DFC) had not been

proposed in the bill but the Provincial Finance Commission (PFC), headed by the Provincial

Finance Minister, had been strengthened. Two Tehsil Nazims from the province were to be

selected as representatives of the local government in PFC, he said. He further added that the

right to impeach the Nazim had been given to the respective council and no-confidence motion

could be passed through two-third majority.

In an answer to the question on autonomy of the Village, Tehsil and District Councils, the

Minister elucidated that all these entities had been corporate in the past but now the proposed bill

has restored their demarcation, in terms of coordination, and also defined the legislative

competence of each tier. He said that a grade-7 clerk would be provided to each Village Council

who would be answerable to Tehsil Municipal Officer (TMO) and Tehsil Municipal Administration

while the Village Council would present the annual report to Tehsil Council. Village Councils

would be constituted within the limits of Union Councils (UC) and UC unit had not been broken,

rather, it had been subdivided into smaller units.

On the question of tussle of power among the MNAs, MPAs and Local Government, Mr.

Inayatullah Khan responded that the idea of devolution of power would sink into the minds of the

stakeholders gradually and the continuity of political process, strengthening of political parties,

26

political maturity , economic and social empowerment of communities along with awareness and

education in the masses would be instrumental in discouraging the MPAs and MNAs to

challenge the autonomy and authority of local governments.

While pointing to the devolution of police related matters to the Village Council, the Minister said

that the Department of Police had been regulated by the Police Order 2001. However, governing

boards and committees would be formed from among the elected representatives in the Village

Councils to ensure accountability, fairness, efficiency and transparency under the Thana of their

jurisdiction.

Mr. Inayatullah Khan, answering to a question on the educational qualification of the Nazims,

elaborated that the Constitution of Pakistan had not imposed any such restriction even for the

seat of Prime Minister and so the proposed bill, in conjunction with it, had not envisaged such a

constraint.

Some of the participants of the forum remarked that non-party based Village Council elections

will give vent to floor crossing and horse trading. In his reply, the Minister said that the question

on dichotomy of electoral systems among different tiers of local government had remained a

matter of serious debate in the Select Committee meetings but he believed that it would become

quite difficult for the political parties to manage the election of 60,000 councilors. He added that

non-party based elections would strengthen the spirit of Village Councils, however, the matter

was still under debate and a solution to it would soon be reached through consensus.

While responding to a major question on the political and bureaucratic interference in the affairs

of district governments, Mr. Inayatullah articulated that the local government would operate within

the framework of the provincial government, therefore, the proposed law did not impinge the local

government system. “The Chief Minister can suspend the District Council Nazim for 30 days and

if not proved he will stay reinstated”, he said.

4.2. ADDRESS BY SPEAKER PROVINCIAL ASSEMBLY KP In practical demonstration of KPK‟s poitical leadership‟s commitment Speaker Provincial

Assembly, Mr. Asad Qaiser, devoted time to a number of sessions. He said consensus had been

achieved on the 95% content of the KP Local Government Act 2013 in consultation with all

political parties including opposition parties. PTI government, he said had allocated 37% of the

budget for the first time in history, for the proposed three tier structure of government, at the

Village, Tehsil and District level. He commended the efforts of the Provincial Government in

promoting an atmosphere of consultation by taking all the stakeholders on board and deliberated

that the 18th amendment presented a historic opportunity to the people of the country to claim

their share in the power structure.

4.3. POINT OF VIEW OF OPPOSITION PARTIES Representing the opposition parties in the meeting held in the provincial capital Peshawar, Mr.

Atta-ur-Rehman from Jamiat-e-Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) emphasized the importance of devolution

of fiscal and administrative authorities and responsibilities to the elected representatives and

articulated that the proposed legislation should be in coherence with the Constitution of Pakistan

in letter as well as in spirit. He remarked that mechanisms need to be put in place to discourage

tussle between the local government representatives and MPAs. He said that personalization

and localization of power should also be checked through proper accountability and checks and

balances.

Recommendations from the Grassroots… Political Devolution Administrative Devolution Financial Devolution General Recommendations

28

5.0 RECOMMENDATIONS FROM

GRASSROOTS

The participants came up with numerous recommendations on the structural mechanics,

procedural dynamics and strategic corollaries of the devolution process. Here is a brief

description of these recommendations:

5.1. POLITICAL DEVOLUTION Party-based Electoral System: Local body elections should be held on party basis in

order to maximize the political linkages between different tiers of government and

minimize the localization and personalization of politics. Furthermore, this would also

discourage floor crossing and horse trading.

Direct Election of Nazims: As opposed to the previous practice carried out in the

Devolution of Power Plan, 2001, the head of Distirct Government, Distirct Nazim, and

that of Tehsil Government, Tehsil Nazim, should be elected directly through the majority

public vote. The Tehsil and District Nazims should have specified educational

qualifications. The Electoral College should be village council members for District Nazim

and neighbourhood council members for Tehsil Nazim.

Educational Qualification: Minimum educational qualification for the District and Tehsil

Chairmen should be Graduation.

Women Representation: The representational seats of women should be increased

from 33% to 50% in order to give them equitable participation in the decision making

process.

Representation of Minorities: The minorities should be provided an ample opportunity

to participate in the political process by respecting their rights and ensuring seats to be

reserved for them.

Right to Impeach: The right to impeach the District and Tehsil Chairmen should be

granted to the Councilors to ensure accountability.

Delimitation of Village Councils: Delimitation of village councils should be carried out

keeping in mind the population, geographic, ethnic, facilities, staffing, operation and

maintenance. . People from the grassroots level should be accessed to ensure their

participation. The population of a village council should not exceed 20,000. The village

councils should be constituted such that each Union Council houses not more than 2

village councils.

Village Council Members: The number of Village Council members is large which will

lead to an increase in administrative and establishment cost as population of village

councils is comparatively small. The authority and responsibilities should be devolved for

one year to test the efficacy of the system.

Village Council Chairmen: The chairman of village council may be made the members

of district council while vice chairman should be made the member of tehsil council.

Continuity: Legislation should be carried out to ensure continuity in the local

governments. The tenure of Local Government system should be of 5 years duration.

An Anomaly in Proposed Law: The proposed law envisages that the general councilor

with highest number of votes would be the Nazim while the one with the second highest

number of votes would be the Naib Nazim. However, no mechanisms have been

provided in the proposed law to deal with the situation that may arise in the respective

council when one or more general councils are elected unopposed.

29

Scope of Elected Government: The role and scope of local governments in terms of

services pertinent to health, education, sports, administration, agriculture, water

management etc. should be enhanced.

Responsibility to Maintain Social Cohesion: The elected representatives of the Union

Councils should be authorized to resolve social conflicts through reconciliatory process in

order to promote harmony in the locality.

Rule of Law: The decisions undertaken by the elected representatives of local

governments through reconciliation should be granted the status of Rule of Law under

the Judicial Recommendation and Arbitration Act.

Resident Magistrate: The District and Tehsil Councils should have the prerogative of

carrying out legislation to appoint dedicated resident magistrate to Tehsil Municipal

Administration (TMA) for encroachment.

5.2. ADMINISTRATIVE DEVOLUTION Documentation of Priorities: Documentation of current facilities and quality of services

as well resources and local priorities should be devolved to the tiers of local government.

The Academia and Universities should be integrated into this process. The students

should be encouraged to carry out their researches and thesis on these subjects.

Service Delivery: All social service delivery within a district should be under the

subordination of District Council while all municipal and daily consuming services delivery

within a district should be subordinated to Tehsil Council including Public Health and

Engineering Department (PHED). All the administrative functions of devolved

departments under Executive District Officers (EDOs) should be authenticated by the

majority decision of District Council. Similarly, creation of posts, hiring firing transfer of

staff, creation and disposal of assets, approval of new taxes and all contracts should be

approved by the respective councils. There should be no execution at village council

level and the village council should make recommendations to the district council.

Establishment of Local Government Service Commission: Local Government

Service Commission should be formed to recruit/post/induct staff on merit and oversee

the transfer of administrators in coordination with the chairman of the District Council.

Coordination Officers: Coordination officers should be appointed at the District and

Tehsil level and a Secretary at Union Council level, on the pattern of Local Government

Ordinance 2001, to ensure coordination among all tiers of local government. These

should be under the administrative control of Chairmen of respective councils at all level.

Maximum tenure for coordination officers should be 3 years. In case of poor

performance, the officers‟ transfer should be tabled before the respective councils.

Annual Confidential Reports of the coordination officers should be initiated by the

chairmen of respective councils.

District Ombudsmen System: The district ombudsmen system should also be

strengthened to address weakness and irritants in the local governments system.

Autonomous Local Governments: A culture orchestrated around and dominated by the

whims and will of the MPAs and MNAs needs to be discouraged so that the authorities

and responsibilities are devolved to the LGs in letter as well as in spirit. Coordination

must be developed among various tiers of government to abolish intrusion and

localization of power.

Primary and Secondary Education: Educational/university entrance exams should be

held at the district level. The Government school‟s petty funds should be in line with the

recommendations of the Union Council as well as in accordance with the school‟s

development plan. The district government should be authorized to undertake

innovations in the local schools in coherence with the National Education Policy in order

30

to improve the quality of education. The teachers should not be transferred before a

minimum of threshold of 3 years to ensure consistency and continuity.

Vocational/Technical Education: The district government should be granted the

authority to recommend and propose technical/vocational trades in accordance with the

local needs, interests and inclinations of the youth.

Special Education: The Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) working with Persons

with Disabilities should be granted sufficient grants so that they are able to fulfill their

responsibility of complementing the government in letter as well as in spirit. A district

level forum of Persons with Disabilities may be constituted to propose recommendations

to the district government. In addition, legislation should be carried out in the District

Councils for Persons with Disabilities and appropriate steps should be taken to ensure

the implementation of existing by-laws in local context. Finally, Persons with Disabilities

should have representation in district government.

Mother and Child Health Centre: Mother and child health department should be made a

part of the health department. Regular innovative programs should be pursued in order to

bring down the Infant Mortality and Mother Mortality Rates. Local staff should be

appointed to these departments to enhance their efficacy.

Basic Health Units (BHUs), Rural Health Centres (RHCs) and Hospitals: Steps

should be taken by the district government to upgrade the BHU/RHC. Health units should

be under the direct supervision of the local government. In order to promote

accountability and feedback mechanisms, health committees should be linked with the

local government while banning private practice.

Social Welfare and Community Development: The Social Welfare Ordinance 1961

should be granted the status of “Act”. In order to regularize the mushroom growth of

NGOs, scrutinized registration may be pursued. A forum of NGOs at district level should

be revitalized. Simultaneously, CCBs should be given a role in the local government

setup.

Progress Sharing: Annual progress reports should be published on Union Council level

which may be discussed in the District and Tehsil Councils for performance appraisals.

Municipal Courts: Municipal courts and municipal magistrates should be established

under the jurisdiction of the current judiciary to regulate inflation, encroachment and other

municipal by-laws.

Violence against Women: Violence and all forms of discrimination against women

should be designated as the responsibility of the village councils. Representation of

women in reconciliatory committees should be enhanced by ensuring their proper

participation. The village councils should facilitate the women with easy and hassle-free

access to Bait-ul-Mal.

Disaster Management Authority: The disaster management and response authorities

should be devolved to village council level. Formulation of safety, emergency, mitigation

and evacuation plans must be the responsibility of the village councils.

Land Use Planning: To regulate encroachment, land use planning should be devolved

to the districts and should be coordinated at all tiers of government. For this purpose, the

capacities of local government institutions should be enhanced.

Authority over Local Thana: The elected representatives of the Union Council should

be granted constitutional protection to maintain a system of check and balance on the

local thana‟s police.

Forest and Environment: The forest and environment departments should be devolved

to the districts as well. The districts should benefit from the generated revenue and

resource base.

31

Provision of Infrastructure: Infrastructure should be provided to all the union councils

by combining 2 to 3 Union Councils with population ranging from 100,000 to 150,000.

Police: The Police department should be independent and should not be under the local

governments to guarantee transparency and rule of law.

Public Fora: Town meeting (public forum) for social accountability and public query

should be set up to ensure the inclusive participation of general public at grassroots level.

5.3. FINANCIAL DEVOLUTION Provincial Finance Commission (PFC): A rule-based fiscal transfer mechanism ought

to be established for the division of Provincial Consolidated. Some of the criteria

proposed for allocation of funds between the province and the local governments are as

follows:

i. Poverty

ii. Infrastructure

iii. Revenue Collection

iv. Population

v. Conflict and disaster vulnerability

vi. Inverse Density Population

Natural resources may also be included in factors relating to distribution of Provincial

Consolidated Fund between the province and the local governments. Provincial Finance

Commission should be formulated on the basis of representational parity giving equal

representation to the district government.

Revenue Collection Mandate: The mandate of district governments to collect revenue

should be extended, thus, exterminating their excessive dependence on provincial funds.

In order to introduce a mechanism of accountability and transparency on the Tehsil and

District level, the elected members of Union Council should be taken into confidence and

made part of the consultation process.

District Expenditures: The district government should reserve the prerogative to alter its

expenditures as a vast proportion of district expenditures are “establishment charges”.

District Finance Commission (DFC): In order to decentralize the fiscal distribution of

revenue, district finance commission may be established at the district level. The

involvement of MPAs in district level development projects should be restricted while two

members from ruling and opposition should nominate for the District Finance

Commission. The establishment of District Finance Commission and implementation

would be responsibility of the elected members of provincial assembly and their

monitoring.

Resource Allocation between MPAs and LGs: Allocation of resources between LGs

and MPAs should be consensus based and should not dwell on any voting criteria to

reduce the friction and tussle that is likely to arise owing to the MPA oriented culture as

most of the development funds have, in the past, been diverted to the MPAs instead of

the LGs.

Primary Level Tax Collection: The district council should be made responsible to

collect primary taxes from the district. Another suggestion is that the Village Council

should be handed over the taxation authority while atleast 40% of the generated revenue

should be spent on the concerned Union Council while the rest may be transferred to the

higher tiers of government. Service charges on the design of Usher system may be

introduced. These charges should relate directly to the quality and standard of services

being provided. Taxes should be levied at the Union Council level on natural resources

such as forests, minerals, water and tourism.

32

Women Representation in PFC and DFC: Women should be given representation in

Provincial and District Finance Commissions.

Civil Society Representation in Provincial Finance Commission: Civil society should

have representation in monitoring and supervision. District monitoring and evaluation

council should be formed with the inclusion of civil society.

Allocation of Funds for Disasters and Other Emergencies: Funds should be reserved

for dealing with disasters and any emergencies along with mitigation plans. Funds should

also be reserved for orphans, widows and marginalized groups.

Financial Transparency: General public should have knowledge and awareness of

budgets. Websites and other electronic mechanisms should be used in this regard. An

accountability committee should be formed to make the process of formulation,

distribution and expenditure of funds transparent.

Urban/Rural Bias: The urban and rural administrative areas ought to be integrated (at

the Tehsil level) as a major source of revenue for the urban areas is octroi levied in urban

areas for all goods regardless of whether they

were eventually consumed in a rural area. This results in a disproportionate access of

resources for urban areas. This urban/rural bias has to exterminate to ensure uniform

development.

Zakat and Bait-ul-Mal: Zakat and Bait-ul-Mal fund should be distributed through

democratic process by allocating it to the local village council which should be

responsible to select the deserving individuals.

Development Schemes: Development schemes and annual grants should be passed by

the village councils and then transferred onto the District and Tehsil councils for further

process. The District Council should be responsible for preparing development plans in

coordination with the Tehsil and Village and Neighbourhood Councils. Annual

Development Programs (ADPs) should be shared with the members of village councils in

order to avoid duplication and prevent the wastage of development funds.

5.4. GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS Equity Based Resource Allocation: Regardless of the debate on the electoral system

being party based or non-party based, its merits and demerits, procedures and

mechanisms must be put in place to ensure the equity based distribution of resources to

the grassroots level.

Local Capacities and the Role of Print and Electronic Media: The capacity of local

people to exercise self-governance ought to be enhanced to sensitize them about roles

and duties. Print and electronic media should take up this responsibility by telecasting

public service messages, programs and dedicated transmission explaining the local

government system and roles and responsibilities of stakeholders in simple yet

elucidated language.

Complaint Redressing: An effective complaint registering and redressing system with

clearly laid out procedures would go a long way in building trust between the community

and Local Governments, reduce financial burden of the key stakeholders in building

infrastructure and operating and maintain services and ensure sustainability of quality

services.

Adherence to the Constitution of Pakistan: The proposed bill should be in adherence

to the Constitution of Pakistan which stipulates the devolution of both fiscal and

administrative authorities as well as responsibilities to the elected members of the local

governments. Also, its compatibility with the existing civil service structure must be

ensured.

33

Civil Dispute Committees: Legislation must be carried out for civil dispute committees,

reconciliatory anjumans and jirgas to enable conflict resolution at the grassroots level.

6. CONCLUSION The overwhelming and vehement response of the participants to the consultations was a rational

indication of the progress made by the country and its people towards democracy. The people

were unanimously in favour of such education, awareness and training initiatives which would

build their capacities in the effective exercise and wielding of power through the devolved

responsibilities and authorities. The participants of the workshops demanded, vociferously, that

the elections should be organized on party basis at all levels and the people from different parties

should be capacitated and facilitated to learn to accept difference of opinion and pluralism with

an open heart and objectively. It was also recommended that checks and balances must be

strengthened and put in place between the elected representatives and bureaucracy to ensure

accountability and transparency.

The devolution of political, administrative, financial and electoral responsibilities and authorities

to the democratically elected local government would significantly enhance efficiency,

transparency, accountability, fairness and participation in resource allocation and public service

delivery. It is hoped that this will be instrumental in enabling the people from grassroots level to

participate in public management and local governance.

REFERENCES Ahmed, V., & Amjad, R. (1984). The Management of Pakistan’s Economy, 1947-82. Oxford

University Press.

Bhatti, A. (2013). Deconstructing Article 140 (A). Islamabad: United Nations Development

Program (UNDP).

Hamid, S. (2010). Impact of 18th Amendment on Federal-Provinces Relations. Pakistan Institute

of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDAT).

Jalal, A. (1995). Democracy and Authoritarianism in Pakistan: A Comparative and Historical

Perspective. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Khan, Z. (2013). Post 18th Amendment of the Constitution of Pakistan: A Critical Appraisal".

Islamabad: Strengthening Participatory Organization (SPO).

Mathur, K. (1983). Administrative Decentralization in Asia. In G. S. Cheema, & D. A. Rodonelli

(Eds.), Decentralization and Development: Policy Implementations in Developing

Countries (pp. 59-76).

Rizvi, S. A. (1976). Changing Patterns of Local Government in Pakistan. Pakistan Historical

Society.

Smith, B. C. (1985). Decentralization: The Territorial Dimension of the State. London: George

Allan and Unwin.

Talbot, I. (2009). Pakistan: A Modern History. London: C Hurst & Company Publishers Limited.

Turner, M., & Hulme, D. (1997). Governance, Administration and Development: Making the State

Work. West Hartford: Kumarian Press.

34

Waseem, M. (2007). Politics and the State in Pakistan. Islamabad: National Institute of Historical

and Cultural Research, Centre of Excellence, Quaid-i-Azam University.

Waseem, M. (2010). Federalism in Pakistan. Lahore: Lahore University of Management

Sciences.

Wilder, A. (1999). The Pakistani Voter: Electoral Politics and Voting Behavior in Punjab. Oxford

University Press.

World Bank. (2000). Pakistan Reforming Provincial Financesin the Context of Devolution: An

Eight Point Agenda. Poverty Reduction and Economic Management Unit South Asia

Region.

35

ANNEXES

ANNEXURE 1: CONSULTATION SCHEDULE

Sr. # Consultation Venue Date

1 Dera Ismail Khan August 31, 2013-September 1, 2013

2 Abbottabad September 7, 2013

3 Swat September 14, 2013

4 Peshawar October 30, 2013

ANNEXURE 2: NEWS PAPER CLIPPINGS

36

37

38

ANNEXURE 3: CONSULTATIONS PARTICIPANT LIST

PESHAWAR

Afzal Yousafzai Director Ask Dev

Tamkeena Mansoor Manager SB/PEI

G.S. Tunio PARD Peshawar

Naznin Shad PARD Peshawar

M. Saeed Khan ADR Specialist UNDP

Amjad Bhatti UNDP

Ayaz Muhammad AHKRC

Shafiq Alam PMU/MSP

Kishwar Khan PMU/MSP

Naseem-ur-Rehman AHKRC

Said Rehman HRDO

Abdul Wahid Qadri Ex Nazim

Atta-ur-Rehman JUI

Shahid Ullah Babar QWP

Nobat Khan MQM

Sadia S Khan CEO AIRD

Inayat Asst. Professor

Ali Babar

Dr. Usman Ghani PM-HID SRSP

Dr. Muhammad Iqbal Khalid JI (Naib Amir)

Malik Akbar PPP

Omar Javed Sungi Foundation

Saifullah Ex Naib Nazim

Inayatullah Minister of Local Government

KP

Qazi Ayaz JUI

H. Shahzad PTI

Bushra Naaz Khwendo Kor

M. Israr DLTO-URDO

Ghulam Mustafa PA to Minister LG KP

Ashar Siddiqui IT Assistant MNCH KP

Dr. Naila Nazir Asst. Professor Peshawar

University

Dr. Naila Tabassum Asst. Professor

Peshawar University

Habibur Rahman -

M. Zia-ul-Haq -

Kifayat ur Rehman Credit Officer

Hamid-ud-Din Office Assistant

Swepeet Gill Cameraman

Malik Mamoon Ahmad -

Sanhiz Ali UNDP SPFD

Sajawal Cameraman

Shakeel Mahmood Dept. of Information

Mukhtar Dept. of Information

Ali Dept. of Information

Basha Rehman -

Waheedullah -

M. Khaliq PTI

Shumaila Tabassum Weder Ex. District

Councilor

Javed Amjad LMO MPL coroporation

Shaleem David Project Coordinator ABES

Asghar Khan AHKRC

Shah Nawaz Khan AHKRC

Suleman Khan AHKRC

Faheemullah AHKRC

Alhaj Mali Saleem Chamkani Chairman QWP

Peshawar

Ijaz Ahmad QWO

Shah Usman

Nasim Ahmad Khan S.V. chairman Khulsa 1

Maryam Bibi Program Officer

Rubina Naz Women Commission

Ismail Khan

Arbab Mir Afzal Khan General Secretary QWP

Peshawar

M. Iqbal Shah Haidri JUI

Asad Qaiser Deputy Speaker Provincial

Assembly KP

Ijaz Asst. Security

Tahir P.A. to Deputy Speaker PA

KP

39

DERA ISMAIL KHAN

Name Designation-Organization

DI Khan

Faheem Iqbal Executive Director Veer

Inamullah Gandapor Ex. Councilor

Dilshad Begum Ex. District Council

Member

Habibullah Khan Addt. DC

Dr. Shadiullah Professor Gomal University

M. Farooq PM HDO

Abdul Rauf P.E.

Qais Javed Faith & Trust DI Khan

Ghulam Sardar Sup. LGRDD

M. Ishfaq J.U.I. (F)

Adil Mughal Ary News

Waqas Ali Program Officer

Shaloom Victor St. Thomas Church

M. Saeed Aasi Daily Aitidal

M. Haroon Regional Officer TVO

Abr-e-sabr Programming Officer SPO

Neelofar Ex. Councilor

Farhat Siddique Ex. Councilor

Naheed Ex. Councilor

Zahid Muhibullah Jamat-e-Islami

Zafarullah VDP

Qazi Shoaib Jamat-e-Islami

M. Shabbir Nazim

Amir Sohail Sadozai Presient Sahara

S. Zafran Hussain S.V.P.

Sardar Latifullah Civil Servant (R)

Rehana Yasin Awaz SPO Member

Tasleem Daud Awaz SPO

Shaheen Sakina Awaz SPO

Afshan Awaz SPO

Saselia Awaz SPO

Javed Masih Awaz SPO

Saeedullah Marwat Geo News

Ramzan Seemab Express News

Hameed Pirzada Daily Mezan

M. Kamran Ex. Nazim

Irfan Mughal Ary News

Hanif Jan Ex. Tehsil Council Member

Arslan Awan Dunya News

Yasin Qureshi PTV

Atakkar Khan Ex. Councilor

M. Asghar Khan Advocate

M. Yasmin Jan PML (N)

Sheikh M. Arif PML (N)

40

SWAT

Rehmat Ali C.E.C.

Jamiat-e-Ulema-e-Islam (JUI)

Latif Ahmad Chairperson STIP

Bilawal Jamshed President-Innovative

Youth Forum (IYF)

Waheed Imran President Aghaaz

Shoukat Sharar Political Activist and

Architect

Mutasarrif Khan Executive Director CDC

Tabassum Bibi Founder and

Chairperson-First Women Jirga

Erfaan Hussain Babak Executive Director-The

Awakening

Shahi Duran Former Tehsil Nazim

Nasir Qasmi Executive Director-KCDO

Muhammad Ali Khpal Kor

Ahmad Shah Chairman Global Peace Council

Faza Zahid Swat Qaumi Jirga

Syed Akbar Former Nazim

Mazhar N. Khan Sraiki Lok Party

Dr. Jawad Chairman Innovative Youth

Forum

Rasool Khan Former Nazim (UC Landikas)

M. Khaliq Advizor GIZ

Samiullah Swat Active Youth Society

Muhammad Zeeshan Optimistic Youth Network

Jawadullah Khan Optimistic Youth Network

Hamid Khan Social Worker

Anwar Hayat Former Nazim

Engr. Umer Farooq G.S. PML-N

Amjad Khan Social Worker

Mahmood Rafique G.S. SPC

Rashid Iqbal Chairman SPC

Khan Saeed Pak WIN

Fazal Mabood Associate Professor

Wafa Muhammad Associate Professor

Syed Mohi-ud-din Chairman AWS Swat

Taj Muhammad Former Councilor

Yasmin Begum Social Worker

Roquia Amin Staff Nurse

Raham Begum LHS

Shaukat Saleem HRCP

Hamid Khan DO, Social Welfare

Nilofar Social Worker

41

ABBOTABAD

Shakeel Anwar Media Coordinator-TSH Pakistan

M. Haroon Asst. Director LG&RDD

Qazi M. Bilal Ex. Secretary Union Council

Mazhar Leshari AHKRC

Azhar Ali Khan Ex. Councilor UC-Kakul

Hashim Zaidi UNDP

Gulzar Karlal Daily Shamal

S.A. Shakoor Political Secretary PTI Atd.

Abdul Haq PTI

Shaleem David Project Coordinator-ABES

Engr. Sultan Jadoon Tehreek-e-Suba Hazara

Jan Muhammad Qureshi PTI (Ex-Nazim)

M. Aslam Social Worker

M. Mushtaq Social Worker

Surkhan Khan PAKSBAB

Sardar Hukam Dad Ex. Nazim

Shah Sultan Kazmi Ex. Nazim Kakul

M. Gulfam Sungi

Sardar Arif Khan Sungi

Sultan Irfan TSH

Ahmed Abbasi Secretary Dist. Atd.

M. Sabir Ex. Councilor

M. Wazir Social Worker

S.M. Riaz Secretary UC Nagri Bala

M. Ashfaq Khan President SUCA Atd.

Sultan Khan Ex. Asst. DC

Zobia Bibi Social Worker

Fozia Abrar Social Worker

Abdul Malik Khan Social Worker

Altaf-ur-Rehman Ameer Mutahida Ulema

Council Atd.

M. Aslam Qureshi Ex. Councilor

Omar Javed Regional Coordinator Sungi

Tehmina Faheem PTI Vice President Atd.

Gulzar Abbasi President PPP Atd.

M. Rabnawaz Social Worker

Uzma Akram UN Habitat

Bushra Waheed Ex. Councilor

Alia Wajid Sungi

M. Saeed Ex. Nazim

M. Saqib Daily Aaj

Dr. Khurram Jadoon Veterinary Doctor SRSP

Malik Saeed Akhter Advocate

Mobashar Hussain President Shabab-e-Milli

Hazara

Gulfaraz Mughal Shabab-e-Milli Hazara

Mubarik Hussain Ex. Nazim

M. Suleman Ex. Nazim

Saeed Ahmed Khan Political Worker

Sardar Faisal Daily Aaj

Gul Khan Jadoon Chief Officer Aaj

42

ANNEXURE 4: PARTICIPANTS’ FEEDBACK IN WORKSHOPS Feedback of Participants in Consultation Workshop Held in Swat

Grades Workshop Evaluation Organization of Workshop

Coherence Clarity Relevance Supply of

Materials

Works

Hours

Contact and

Correspondence

Food Location

and

Atmosphere

Very Good 31% 23% 31% 46% 31% 58% 62% 65%

Good 62% 58% 46% 35% 31% 31% 31% 31%

Satisfactory 8% 19% 23% 19% 23% 4% 8% 4%

Poor 0% 0% 0% 0% 15% 8% 0% 0%

Feedback of Participants in Consultation Workshop Held in DI Khan

Grades Workshop Evaluation Organization of Workshop

Coherence Clarity Relevance Supply of

Materials

Works

Hours

Contact and

Correspondence

Food Location

and

Atmosphere

Very Good 76% 77% 93% 73% 70% 81% 62% 96%

Good 24% 23% 7% 12% 26% 15% 26% 4%

Satisfactory 0% 0% 0% 11% 4% 4% 8% 0%

Poor 0% 0% 0% 4% 0% 0% 4% 0%

Feedback of Participants in Consultation Workshop Held in Abbottabad

Grades Workshop Evaluation Organization of Workshop

Coherence Clarity Relevance Supply of

Materials

Works

Hours

Contact and

Correspondence

Food Location

and

Atmosphere

Very Good 64% 57% 43% 54% 43% 50% 75% 82%

Good 29% 25% 36% 36% 39% 29% 18% 14%

Satisfactory 4% 11% 14% 4% 18% 14% 7% 4%

Poor 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 4% 0% 0%