KP govt moves to restore district tier in local government system

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government is preparing a proposal to bring back the district tier in the province’s local government structure, which was removed in 2019, according to official sources.

The upper tier of local bodies had been abolished before the previous local government elections, after which the system was implemented at the tehsil level along with village and neighbourhood councils.

Official sources said the local government department has drafted amendments to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Local Government Act, 2013, to restore the district tier. They said the department has already sent the proposed legal changes to the law department for vetting.

According to the sources, a summary has also been submitted to Local Government Minister Meena Khan Afridi for approval. One source said, With the approval of the minister, the summary will be sent to Chief Minister Sohail Afridi for consent.

Proposed changes

Besides reviving the district tier, the department has also proposed increasing the population size for village and neighbourhood councils. Under the proposal, the population covered by a village council would be raised from 5,000 to 10,000, while the population for a neighbourhood council would increase from 25,000 to 35,000.

Sources said it was premature to specify the powers and functions of the proposed district tier. They added that the government has not yet decided which departments would fall under the district level, and which would remain with the tehsil tier or the provincial government. Before the district tier was abolished in 2019, some functions had either been devolved to tehsils or retained by the province.

Election timeline

The first phase of local body elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was held in December 2021 in half of the province, while the second phase took place in the remaining districts in May 2022.

The four-year term of councillors elected in the first phase ended on March 15, 2026. Those elected in the second phase are due to complete their tenure on June 30, 2026.

Under the Election Act, 2017, the Election Commission of Pakistan is required to hold local government elections within 120 days after the expiry of the tenure of local bodies.

Concerns over powers

When contacted, Local Council Association president Himayatullah Mayar said he had reviewed the proposed amendments and claimed they indicated that the government intended to restore the district tier with only monitoring and supervisory authority, which he said was contrary to the Constitution.

Referring to Article 140-A, he said, each province should establish a local government system and devolve political, administrative, and financial responsibility to elected local representatives.

Mr Mayar said the provincial government appeared to be planning to assign only a monitoring and supervision role to elected representatives at the district level. "In the absence of legitimate powers with the local government’s representatives, the bureaucracy will have the supreme role in the LG system," he said.

Mr Mayar, who is also the mayor of Mardan city, said the local government model introduced during President General Musharaf’s period was stronger than the current arrangement, saying 28 government departments had been devolved to local bodies at that time, compared to 24 departments under the system introduced by the PTI in 2013.

He said the previous local government arrangement was toothless because the PTI had not only removed the district tier but had also cut the number of devolved departments to nine at the tehsil level.

He further said that before the district tier was abolished, the provincial government was legally required to allocate 30 per cent of the provincial Annual Development Programme funds to local bodies, but that share was later reduced to 20 per cent. He added that if the district tier is restored, the share of local bodies in ADP funds should also be raised back to 30 per cent.