PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Local Government Department has issued instructions to begin the immediate process of retrieving government assets from outgoing local government representatives across the province.
The Local Council Board of KP has issued a formal announcement that instructs all municipal offices throughout the region and all municipal departments and other responsible entities to start implementing the necessary steps. The notice states that outgoing representatives need to return all government-owned vehicles together with furniture, equipment, documents, and other assets that they currently possess.
The organization required all recovered government assets to be documented in detail and then submitted to the Local Council Board as a verified inventory document which needs to be completed as soon as possible.
The department requires proper asset return procedures because they need to prevent any potential asset mismanagement or illegal asset possession. The notice has required the Director General of Metropolitan Government Peshawar and all tehsil municipal officers and regional municipal offices to follow the applicable laws and regulations during this procedure.
The government of the province established this initiative to create systems that protect public resources while maintaining operational discipline and transparent processes. The government asset transfer process to the newly elected local government administration will proceed smoothly through accurate asset management.
KP parliamentary committee finalises decision on local government tenure
On March 10, a high-level parliamentary committee of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly has recommended against extending the tenure of local government representatives, citing a lack of constitutional and legal provisions.
The meeting, chaired by committee convener Nazir Ahmed Abbasi and attended by Speaker Babar Saleem Swati at the Provincial Assembly Secretariat on Tuesday, concluded that since the Constitution of Pakistan and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Local Government Act 2013 do not provide for the continuation of terms beyond four years, such an extension is legally untenable.
The committee, which was established on March 6 to address local government concerns, featured a wide range of participants, including MPAs Muhammad Sajjad, Akbar Ayub Khan, and Ahmed Kundi, alongside representatives from the Local Councils Association led by Mardan Mayor Himayatullah Khan Mayar.
Members unanimously observed that because local representatives hold a public mandate, any attempt to extend their stay through government amendments would lack legal feasibility.
Furthermore, the committee proposed a comprehensive review of the 2013 Act to revive district councils and make the local government framework more effective. While suggesting either new legislation or significant amendments to the existing law, the committee noted that the provincial government remains empowered to make a final discretionary decision on the matter.
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