Karachi : A project called Strengthening Local Governments and Promoting Democracy (SLGPD) has been launched to promote democracy and strengthen local governments in Pakistan.
Starting from August 1, 2024, a new initiative has been rolled out across the country aimed at strengthening local governments and democracy, named the SLGPD project. This project is being implemented nationwide by Legal Rights Forum, Aawaz CDS, and the Pakistan Development Alliance.
The program will run from August 2024 to June 2025 in Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta, and Karachi.
A series of meetings are underway regarding the commencement of the program. The first meeting took place between the Leader of the Opposition in the Sindh Assembly, Ali Khurshidi, the CEO of Legal Rights Forum, Tahir Malik, and the program manager, Shireen Aijaz. In this meeting, various suggestions were discussed to further improve the project and ensure effective implementation. Legal Rights Forum has requested the nomination of members of the Provincial Assembly (MPAs) for the upcoming program, so that training programs can be organized with these representatives. Opposition leader Ali Khurshidi assured that he would soon nominate representatives, which will include female MPs, minority representatives, and members of various committees.
This project is focused on enhancing the capacity of parliamentarians and other stakeholders regarding constitutional and financial reforms, as well as improving the performance of local governments. In the coming days, similar meetings will be held with government members and the Mayor of Karachi.
The primary objective of the SLGPD project is to further empower local governments to improve the resolution of public issues. The program will provide training to parliamentarians to help them better understand the local government system and formulate improved policies for public service. On this occasion, MPs from various regions, including Shariq Jameel, Mahesh Kumar, Tahaa, Anil Kumar and Najm Mirza, were also present with the opposition leader.
