While releasing a 'White Paper' on the illegal utilisation of Local Government funds by the provincial governments, Chairman of 'Jeeway Pakistan, Jeeway Maqami-Hakoomat' (JPJM), Daniyal Aziz, announced to launch a national campaign against major issues, including inflation and unemployment and delay in local government elections in violation of Article 140A of the Constitution.
He said this at a news conference here on Saturday, adding that the provincial governments have illegally used Rs 121 billion of Local Governments' funds.
Daniyal said the local government funds' misappropriated by the provincial governments during the last two years included Rs 119.7 billion in Punjab, Rs 83.5 billion in Sindh, Rs 23.8 billion in KP and Rs 8.8 billion in Balochistan. He said that the situation in Balochistan is worst where Provincial Finance Commission has been removed from the system after amending the Local Government Ordinance.
He said today the voices for new provinces are being heard in every nook and corner of the country due to denial of financial and democratic rights of people at local level.
On the issue of inflation, he said that in the November 28, 2008 agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the government had clearly mentioned that the rate of interest would be increased to reduce inflationary pressure, whereas contrary to the agreement the interest rate has been decreased by 1.5 percent. The reason behind is that the government has 94 percent borrowings from the commercial banks to run its daily expenditures.
Daniyal said that the government gets a benefit of Rs 28 billion by reducing only one percent interest rate, adding that through such tactics the poor have been pushed to the wall and they are committing suicides by burning themselves. He further said that the solution of inflation does not lie in Sasti Roti and Benazir Income Support Programme, but in increasing the interest rate.
He said that inflation can not be controlled through administrative measures, but by increasing interest rate. He said the top political leadership has taken billions of rupees loans from banks; that is why the interest rate is being reduced to benefit them.
He said the Police Order 2002 has been suspended due to which Public Safety Commissions are non-functional and people at local level are facing severe violation of human rights. He said the rights of women, minorities and labourers have been usurped by not holding local government polls by the provinces.
He said the PCS officers have also been deprived of their rights in the presence of District and Management Group whereas the independence of judiciary and other institutions, including police, is at stake.
He said the Local Council Associations for last 2 years have filed 27 cases in the Supreme Court of Pakistan and High Courts in four provinces for the restoration of Local Governments and against the appointment of administrator in place of Nazims, but there is no progress in the courts against these constitutional violations.
He said the people cannot be detracted from real issues of inflation and price hike by holding rallies and public meetings in the country and now the government has to announce a clear-cut policy to resolve people's problems.