Chairman National Reconstruction Bureau (NRB) Daniyal Aziz has said that Pakistan has taken a lead among the former British Colonies by dismantling the 150 year old colonial administrative structure and introducing an effective democratic system at the local level in 2001.
He was inaugurating a first meeting of Forum of Ministers of Social Development from Asia organised by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) and the government of Pakistan on the subject of "Public Accountability Mechanisms in the improvement of Social Sector Services" here on Friday.
Ministers and senior government officials from all the seven Saarc countries, and representatives of Auditor General of Pakistan, provincial Accountant Generals and other bodies connected with accountability were attending the two-day conference.
Daniyal said that the local government institutions and offices have a strong framework of accountability in the shape of inspections, audits, inquiries, complaint cells etc based on transparency and internal and external checks and balances to ensure accountable, efficient and effective act of governance at local level.
He said it is for the first time that the elected representatives have been assigned the responsibility of monitoring under the law and the people at the grass roots level analyse political issues and sharing of powers and responsibilities.
NRB Chairman said that it was critically important that the Saarc countries develop internally an ever-increasing and efficient body of politicians, journalist, businessmen, people from social sectors, civil societies and Non-government organisations who could vigorously pursue the process of public accountability and good governance.