Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Monday said the government would objectively review the existing system of local governance and make every effort to establish a legitimate and sustainable system. He was addressing a two-day national workshop on 'Successful models in capacity development for local self-governance towards urban renewal and rural construction' at the PM Secretariat here.
He said the local governments are strong institutions, which greatly help in ensuring the maintenance of high living standards. The prime minister said the local government system in the country was surrounded with controversies, and by and large, it had not come up to the people's expectations.
About the existing devolution plan, he said it lacked necessary infrastructure. "The government faces the challenge of endowing local governance with legitimacy. I want to emphasise that we intend to proceed strictly in accordance with the Constitution of Pakistan, as we have done in all other cases", he added.
Gilani favoured for holding next elections of local governments on party-basis, and suggested it should be extended to Islamabad Capital Territory and cantonments across the country. Local Government Minister Haji Ghulam Ahmed Bilour said the capacity-building was the foremost agenda of the government.
He urged co-ordinated efforts to strengthen provincial and other relevant institutions of the government. The major themes of the workshop are rural reconstruction and socio-economic development, urban renewal, and the capacity-building for local governance.