Afzal Khan

Entry into local government

Khan says he formally joined PTI as a member in 2008. He says he belongs to PTI and that PTI is not in power at this time. [1]

Khan says the 2015 Islamabad local body elections were the first local government elections in urban Islamabad. He says the Supreme Court ordered the 2015 local government elections. He says he was going to the election commission to help a friend in those elections. [1]

Khan says he had no intention of running for the elections at first. He says he decided to run for the elections where he had lived for 10 to 15 years, and took it as a responsibility. He says he took it upon himself to step forward for public office. [1]

Union Council 29

Khan is Vice Chairman of Union Council 29 (F-10/F-11). He stood for a general counselor, also called a ward counselor, seat in the local body elections. He was a general counselor, not a youth counselor. He says he first looked after F-10/2 as a ward and now looks after the whole Union Council. [1]

Khan says the vice chairman seat became vacant in November 2019. He says he was elected unopposed in November 2019. He says the vice chairman oversees the whole Union Council under the chairman. He says a Union Council has six wards, and that his Union Council has a population of 30,000. [1]

Local government structure

Khan says Islamabad has a two-tier local system of union councils and the Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad. He says each union council elects its chairman, and the 50 chairmen become part of the Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad. He says the 50 union councils together elect a mayor. He says he has not been part of the Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad, whose members are union council chairmen and reserved seat members. [1]

Khan says the functions mentioned in the Islamabad ICT Local Government Act 2015 include environment, sanitation, water supply and road repair and maintenance. He says the Islamabad local government act lists responsibilities but does not define authority. [1]

Projects

Khan says he has gained an understanding of how to move files and of government machinery. He says his first achievement was a project approved in 2018. He says he got the department of libraries to sign an MOU with the British Council Islamabad, and that users can transfer featured books to their digital devices through a QR code. He says he had a small F-10 Markaz project approved that worked on signage. [1]

Khan says a multi-purpose sports arena is being built in F-10/2 and a community center is being built locally. He says the last major street lighting work was done in 2005, and in the following 10 to 15 years no one invested in street light infrastructure. He says 18-inch underground pipelines had been leaking for one and a half to two years with no work done. [1]

Public safety

Khan says law and order is not within the local government's domain in Islamabad, as police are not under it. He says he set up a public meeting that the IG, the DIG, other police officials and all three Islamabad MNAs attended. He says it was decided to revive the neighborhood watch community concept. He says he and his team brought Asad Umar on board. [1]

Parking

Khan says entire parking lots have been captured and cars have been standing there for years. He says parking needs coordination among CDA, administration, police and traffic police. He says the Director Traffic Engineering told him work on parking plazas is under way, and that work on parking meters is under way. [1]

East-West Center seminar

Khan was selected by the East-West Center for its New Generation Seminar. He says he was the only person selected from Pakistan for the 2016 New Generation Seminar. He says he went as a councillor. [1]

Views on reform

Khan says the aim was to create a toothless body that would meet the Supreme Court's directions without devolving power. He says very large union councils were created where PTI's support base was strong, and that a union council was created for 4,000 people in one area. [1]

Khan says CDA should be absorbed into MCI and that local government is the way forward. He says CDA needs to be trimmed down. He says two parallel bodies cannot work at the same time. [1]

Khan says improvement will come through policy and legislation. He says empowering requires a bottom-up approach. He says that if he and his colleagues could hire or fire staff such as parks, sanitation and road repair staff, up to a certain grade, there would be accountability. He says funding should be ensured, with a minimum level set. He says effective local governments will come because they are a cornerstone of PTI's manifesto. [1]

Outlook

Khan says local government offers strong growth prospects and exposure. He says local government is something he loves doing. He says he would love to play a more meaningful role while remaining in local government. [1]

Timeline

2008

Formally joined PTI as a member, he says.[1]

2015

Local body elections held in urban Islamabad, the first local government elections there, he says.[1]

2016

Selected for the East-West Center New Generation Seminar, he says as the only person from Pakistan.[1]

2018

First achievement: a project approved, he says.[1]

2019

Elected unopposed in November, he says.[1]

Appearances

Frequently asked questions

References

1. Empowering cities requires devolving real power to councils . Thought Behind Things , 2020-12-14.