A seminar underscored the need for reforms to enhance effectiveness of local bodies in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJ&K) for addressing the looming climate crisis in the region.
The event hosted by the think-tank Centre for Peace, Development, and Reforms (CPDR), gathered senior political and local bodies’ leadership in a multi-party dialogue held at a local hotel in the federal metropolis on last day evening.
Leaders emphasized that outdated LB Act of 1990 governs local bodies in AJ&K, falling short of meeting contemporary needs for local development.
Despite being held in Nov-Dec 2022, the LB elections were the first in nearly three decades, driven after the public demand, civil society pressure, and supreme court directives in AJ&K.
Former prime minister AJ&K, Raja Farooq Haider Khan, highlighted the significance of local bodies and advocated for dedicated development funds to foster socio-economic development at the grassroots level.
He stressed the importance of improving tax collection to strengthen district and union councils financially.
Acknowledging the challenge of capacity building, which has disrupted over the past three decades, the think-tank in a dialogue session pledged to address the outdated LB Act 1990 at the forum of legislative assembly to achieve the objectives of good governance.
The dialogue received support from AJ&K assembly speaker, Chaudhary Lateef Akbar, who emphasized the need for both financial and administrative empowerment for local bodies. He expressed his commitment to raising this issue at appropriate forums.
Dr. Shaheen Akhtar from the National Defense University emphasized the importance of debate with local bodies’ leadership on disaster risk reduction in the context of climate crises.
