Khawaja Asif says political parties have consistently sidelined local governments
Defense Minister Khawaja Asif speaks during an interview with British-American journalist Mehdi Hasan on his show Mehdi Unfiltered. SCREEN GRAB
LAHORE:
Defense Minister Khawaja Asif acknowledged on Saturday that Pakistan’s political parties had consistently sidelined local governments despite their proven role in strengthening grassroots politics, and warned that this neglect had weakened civilian rule itself.
Speaking at a panel discussion titled “Devolution for Revolution” during ThinkFest, the defense minister argued that the failure to institutionalize empowered local bodies was not accidental but a consequence of political choices over time.
The session was attended by Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) Vice Chancellor Ali Cheema, former State Bank Governor Dr. Ishrat Hussain and former MPA Mary James Gill.
Reflecting on Pakistan’s political history, Asif noted that three military rulers, namely Ayub Khan, Ziaul Haq and Pervez Musharraf, remained in power longer than any civilian government, largely because they introduced local systems of government and derived political legitimacy and strength from them.
He admitted that the failure of civilian governments to do the same was “a political failure on our part”.
He pointed out that municipal elections, when they had been held, were historically far less controversial than national opinion polls. “Yet we have continued to avoid them,” he said, lamenting the continued reluctance to hand over power.
Asif recalled that local bodies had been included in the Charter of Democracy signed by PPP and PML-N in 2006.
But the commitment failed to secure sufficient space in the 18th constitutional amendment, although most other agreed reforms were incorporated. He added that resistance to strengthening the grassroots level stemmed largely from the bureaucracy, which feared losing authority to elected officials.
The discussion then turned to constitutional and fiscal reforms, where the former state bank director Dr. Ishrat Hussain noted that while the 18th Amendment clearly delineated the roles of federal and provincial governments, it failed to properly define the functions and powers of local governments.
“This ambiguity continues to create political and administrative friction,” he said.
Dr. Hussain argued that the amendment should have included provisions for a provincial finance commission to directly channel funds to underdeveloped areas in the provinces.
Strong local governments, he added, would not only improve development efficiency, but could also “generate their own revenue by improving tax collection and identifying new sources of income”.
He further said that if institutions like Lahore Development Authority, Water and Sanitation Agency and other civic bodies were placed under the authority of an elected mayor, municipal administrations would become financially stronger and more self-sustaining.
