The Punjab government has started a special audit of the local governments to investigate whether the funds were spent on people’s welfare or were embezzled. Audit is a necessary feature of government spending and no department is immune from it. One is surprised as to why the nazims are opposing the audit process. This amply manifests that the local government system is not good for governance but good for corruption.
The system is a remnant of Mr Musharraf. It is feared that he can use it at any time to bypass the provincial government and thus strike a blow at provincial autonomy and democracy. These nazims have been allegedly used to rig elections for the PML-Q, dissuade people from the lawyers’ movement and bring people to Islamabad on such occasions as the May 12, 2007 “Istihkam-e-Pakistan Rally”.
The PPP, the PML-N and the ANP are mass parties and enjoy wide popular support among the common people.
They do not need corrupt people like nazims for mustering people’s support for their governments. Also, these parties will not be able to materialise their democratic vision for Pakistan as long as this legacy of the dictator exists.
Pakistan is economically a weak country. It is wise to spend money on poverty alleviation than on the corrupt nazims.
It is high time the new democratic dispensation abolished the local bodies system. This issue should be taken up urgently on priority basis without linking it with other controversial issues on which no consensus will be developed.