Local Govt Commission to start inquiry against Islamabad mayor.

Byline: kasim abbasi

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...