ISLAMABAD-A tug of war has intensified between Mayor Islamabad Ansr Sheikh and the newly appointed Chairman of Local Government Commission Ali Nawaz Awan with the former fearing he may be ousted while the latter insists the commission is empowered to take action against the city father.
Ali, who is an elected MNA from Islamabad and special assistant to the PM on CDA, acknowledges that the commission, which was lately formulated under the Local Government Act 2015, enjoys the power to initiate inquiry of any misconduct against the mayor.
Ali Awan told this correspondent that the commission would definitely start an inquiry against the mayor of Islamabad over alleged accusations and may seek his removal.
On Monday, the first meeting of the Local Government Commission took place and the minutes of the meeting are still awaited.
When The Nation asked Ali Awan if the suspension of the mayor Islamabad was discussed in the meeting, the chairman commission replied, “this was the first meeting of the commission, and Mayor’s matter will probably be discussed in future. He has been alleged with a number of charges against him and an inquiry would be started in this regard.”
Lately, it was reported by this correspondent that the government might be thinking of removing the mayor over certain misconduct of the incumbent while serving his post, but when this correspondent discussed the matter with Ansr Sheikh, the Mayor of Islamabad, he refused to accept any of the alleged accusations being framed against him by the government.
Fear grips the mayor of Islamabad as he thinks he might get removed by the Government of Pakistan.
The Mayor of Islamabad Asnr Sheikh told The Nation that owing to his political background and his close affiliation with Pakistan Muslim league Nawaz Sharif (N), the government is setting the stage to remove him by making baseless cases.
Two weeks earlier, a highly placed government source on condition of anonymity, had told this correspondent that the federal government was considering the option of removing the mayor.
However, the set of allegations which were shared with this scribe by the government were considered baseless and false by the mayor of Islamabad.
Ansr Sheikh said that the formation of Islamabad Local Government Commission was also flawed, biased, and pro-PTI. The incumbent stressed that under the Local Government Act 2015, the chairman of the commission was supposed to be a technocrat rather than the ruling party MNA and PM’s special assistant.
The mayor Islamabad insisted that with the help of this commission and its pro-PTI handpicked members, government might remove him as the commission is also empowered under the law to remove or suspend the mayor.
However, on contact with The Nation, Chairman Commission of Islamabad Ali Awan told this correspondent that the commission was not biased and in fact formulated under the light of the Local Government Act, 2015. Awan explained that the members of the commission were designated in accordance with the framework given in the Local Government Act 2015 and were not selected on choice.
Apart from seeking the removal of the mayor of Islamabad, the federal government as well as the Capital Development Authority are found highly criticising Ansr Sheik and MCI for almost every problem emerging in the capital Islamabad till now.
From problem of water supply to the issue of sanitary workers salary, MCI and the Mayor of Islamabad are held responsible by the government as well as the CDA.
Referring to his rifts with the CDA and government, The Nation asked Ansr Shaikhif was it true that his corporation (MCI) was responsible for the emerging problems of Islamabad? To this question, the mayor replied, “CDA does not want us (MCI) to become independent and run freely, they want us to be permanently dependent on them.”
Expressing further, Ansr claimed that the chairman CDA was holding funds which are due to MCI just to maintain its dominance and keep the MCI’s total reliance on CDA. He briefed that due to his political background and close friendship with former Prime Minister Nawaz Shareef, the government authorities as well as the officials were not willing to cooperate with him.
The incumbent briefed that two divisions, the finance and budget, are still lacking in MCI. Both of the divisions need to be shifted to MCI from the CDA and thus requires CDA’s approval and facilitation. Sheikh also said that Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmed handled his case regarding the matter and had given CDA six weeks to resolve the issue.
CDA Chairman Ali Ahmad when contacted by this correspondent told The Nation that MCI had hundreds of officers they can appoint and CDA has nothing to do with the provision of finance and the budget department for MCI. The chairman further stated that the direction by the apex court were relating to the Ministry of Interior (MOI) rather than CDA.