Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to hold LB polls later this year

Minister of Information and Inter Provincial Co-ordination Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Mian Iftikhar Hussain said that indeed local government system is the best one and it should be there at any cost. He added that the provincial government is ready for holding the local bodies' elections this year in the month of October or November He said this while addressing the launching ceremony of Social Audit of Local Governance and Delivery of Public Services 2011-12 here on Monday.
The social audit was carried out by the UNDP in collaboration with the universities of Pakistan across the country. The ceremony was also addressed by Azhar Saeed Malik of UNDP and Dr Mohsin of I.M. Sciences Peshawar. The Minister on this occasion was also informed in detail about the salient features of the social audit.
Mian Iftikhar Hussain while eulogising the efforts of UNDP for carrying out the social audit also mentioned that the system of local bodies is a good services delivery system at gross root level; moreover the common man has an easy access to the elected representatives. He asserted that Democracy has no substitute and the local bodies system is its part. But unfortunately the dictators had used this system for their personal gains.
The Information Minister continued that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was the first province which has passed the Local Government Act and now the upcoming local bodies elections would be held under the said Act on the party basis. He further said that after the local bodies' elections, the new magistracy system will replace the existing one. He while terming the 18th constitutional amendment as silent revolution said that it had not only transferred the authority to the provinces but also the responsibility to make best use of it in the supreme interest of the province.
Earlier, addressing the oath taking ceremony of Haripur Press Club, the Information Minister praised the efforts of Information department and office bearers of Abbottabad Press Club who united the office bearers of Hariput Press Club and bring them at one platform after 17 years of differences. He announced the grant of Rs 0.5 million for the construction of building for Haripur Press Club and media colony He told that he had never supported a particular group in his tenure but always stressed upon the unity of the journalists community. He also issued grants to the journalists of the entire province.
Mian Iftikhar while referring to the Hazara situation asserted that Hazara is our part and parcel and is never considered as a separate part. Some disgruntled elements intentionally deteriorated the peaceful atmosphere of Hazara Division for their personal interest. He added that demand for separate province was the right of the people of Hazara but they should adopt a legal and constitutional way for it.