KP Local Govt Reps Threaten Protest as Funding Row with Provincial Govt Escalates

Peshawar (Daily Pakistan Online) Local government representatives from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have turned to the federal government for assistance, citing a lack of funding and discriminatory treatment by the provincial government. In a letter to the federal government, the representatives have demanded that their share of funds under the National Finance Commission (NFC) be allocated directly to local government institutions, as per Section 30 Class B of the Local Government Act.

A delegation of local government representatives, including provincial leader and former MPA Ikhtiar Wali, Mardan Mayor Himayatullah Mayar, and officials from the Action Council Local Councils Association, met with Federal Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal to discuss their grievances. President Action Council Local Government Himayatullah Mayar presented the federal minister with a written account of the difficulties faced by local governments in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the discriminatory treatment meted out by the provincial government.

In response, Minister Iqbal assured the delegation of all possible cooperation and presented Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s plan to the Prime Minister. He also expressed regret over the discriminatory treatment of local governments by the provincial government. Despite these assurances, local government representatives have announced plans to stage a peaceful protest outside Adiala Jail on December 17, citing the provincial government’s failure to deliver on its promises.

According to Coordinator Action Council Intizar Ali Khalil, the protest is a response to the provincial government’s oppression of local governments, which have been deprived of development funds and powers for three years since the elections. Despite repeated negotiations, the provincial government has failed to implement its promises, prompting the local government representatives to seek federal intervention.