ABBOTTABAD: Tehsil Mayor Sardar Shuja Nabi has said that amendments to the local government system in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have weakened the structure introduced under Imran Khan’s vision.

Speaking to senior journalists at his residence, Sardar Shuja Nabi said local government representatives had struggled for their rights and launched a movement at the provincial level to secure powers and funds.

He said he had considered resigning twice, but changed his decision due to the party’s difficulties and Imran Khan’s imprisonment.

“It is painful that I could not meet the expectations of the people,” he said, adding that he still stood with Imran Khan’s ideology.

Sardar Shuja Nabi said MNAs and MPAs should focus on policymaking, as is the practice in many parts of the world, and should not interfere in the local government system.

He said the Local Government Act, which he claimed had been prepared in line with Imran Khan’s vision, was amended in haste, affecting the system’s original spirit.

According to him, the past four years had been extremely difficult for local representatives, who continued to struggle for their rights while people remained disappointed due to delays in service delivery.

He said elected local government representatives could have resolved public issues more effectively if departments had been reformed and local bodies had been allowed to function independently.

Sardar Shuja Nabi also referred to the development package announced by Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, saying Rs1 billion had been promised but only Rs200 million was released.

He said the released funds were distributed among tehsil members on the basis of need, without discrimination or political affiliation.

“I did not put my nameplate on any project because these funds were the right of the people and came from their own taxes,” he said.

The tehsil mayor said he wanted to do much more for the public, but faced obstacles at different levels and often received instructions from the deputy commissioner’s office.

He thanked journalists, particularly the press club, for highlighting public issues and helping in their resolution.

Sardar Shuja Nabi said he had tried to maintain a close relationship with journalists, following the example of his father and grandfather.

He said direct local government elections were held in the province for the first time, and the people voted for Imran Khan’s cause. However, he expressed regret that the system did not allow representatives to serve the public in the way they had hoped.

He added that he would contest the next election after consultation with elders, youth and former candidates, as he had done in the past.