Title: Citizens Meeting with Local Government Representatives: Engaged Citizens for Improved Local Governance
Date: October 24, 2024
Venue: Taluq Lakhi, District Shikarpur, Sindh

On October 24, 2024, Transparency International Pakistan (TI Pakistan) in collaboration with National Advocacy for Rights of Innocent (NARI Foundation) organized “Citizens Meeting with Local Government Representatives; Engaged Citizens for Improved Local Governance” in Lakhi, District Shikarpur, Sindh.

Around 45 people, including union councillors, district councillors, Chairman Taluqa Lakhi, community members, and women participated in an open dialogue. The open forum aimed to provide in-depth awareness of the duties and responsibilities of local government as outlined under the Sindh Local Government (Amendment Act) 2023, fostering more informed and engaged citizen participation in local governance processes.

The meeting began with the recitation of the Holy Quran, followed by opening remarks from Mr. Anwar Ali Mahar, Executive Director of the NARI Foundation. Mr. Mahar emphasized the role of local governments in consolidating democratic values at the grassroots level, allowing citizens to find solutions to their issues through accessible, decentralized power structures.

Next, Mr. Kashif Ali, Executive Director, TI Pakistan, gave a comprehensive presentation on the “Salient Features of the Sindh Local Government Act and Responsibilities in Effective Service Delivery”, detailing essential functions of local governments, such as ensuring clean roads, safe drinking water, sanitation, and other key public services. His presentation outlined the significance of these roles in enhancing citizens’ quality of life and underlined the importance of local government representatives in meeting community needs.

Next, Mr. Deedar Bhutto, Chairman, Taluqa Lakhi, Shikarpur spoke on the role being played by Union Council and District Council members in addressing governance-related issues of the area. He highlighted that District Shikarpur comprises 54 UCs. On one hand, the responsibility on local government is enormous but the resources given to the local government are meager compared to the challenges.

He highlighted the need for capacity-building training for the councillors on budgeting and resource management. The local representatives are also unaware of the responsibilities and their functions. He urged for the citizens’ awareness about how to facilitate the local government including in combatting illegal practices such as encroachment. While shedding light on challenges in service delivery, Mr Deedar said that the local government database is currently not connected with NADRA, as earlier, for the registration certificates i.e. marriage, death, etc. He said that soon they will expand their services by reconnecting it and afterwards, appointing their representatives at NADRA centres to facilitate people about fee structures of such necessary documents required from the local government. Mr Deedar also said that presently, the local government representatives in Taluqa Lakhi are in contact with the provincial government for the establishment of institutions for empowering women through vocational trainings.

Next, Mr. Bashir Mahar, councillor of UC Ruq, highlighted that education and health are the two big problems of Taluq Lakhi and corruption is one of the major problems hindering effective service delivery to the citizens. He highlighted that each UC comprises 10-12 villages and a budget of Rs. 1.2 million per month is negligible to meet the needs of the community. Mr. Nizamuddin Mahar, a member district council UC Ruq echoed the same sentiment. He highlighted that the real empowerment of local government comes with decentralization of the resources. Without fiscal and other powers, local government representatives merely present people’s issues in the assemblies but are unable to deliver on service delivery.

Afterwards, the forum was opened for discussion and dialogue. In the open discussion session, citizens directly engaged with local representatives, voicing concerns over the limited role of local government in community improvement. They advocated for greater transparency regarding financial allocations, better infrastructure for sewerage and drainage, and recommended community consultations for informed decision-making. Dr. Barkat Balejo, noted that there is no functional complaint system or mechanism through which citizens can reach out to their local representatives. Mr. Kashif Ali highlighted that the LG Act mandates that complaint centres shall be established at LG offices. Chairman Mr. Deedar Bhutto highlighted shared that a functioning centre will be established, and TI Pakistan offered its assistance in providing technical assistance for the complaint centre.

Mr. Khoso pointed out that there has been a lack of interaction between citizens and local representatives for the past two years and local government representatives have never held public consultation which is mandated as per the Act to obtain citizens’ feedback on LG priorities. Mr. Singhar Ali Mangi emphasized that many elected local government representatives are unaware of their roles and responsibilities, a gap impacting governance efficacy. Women participants highlighted the lack of vocational training centers for women.

The event concluded with closing remarks from Mr. Anwar Ali Mahar, who expressed his gratitude to all participants and reiterated the importance of sustained dialogue and collaboration between citizens and local authorities to build trust and foster responsive governance. The meeting reaffirmed Transparency International Pakistan’s commitment to strengthening local governance through transparency, citizen empowerment, and participatory governance, marking a significant step toward accountable and responsive local governance in Sindh.