By Manish Chand, IANS
New Delhi: Taking a break from big-ticket issues like Kashmir and Siachen, India and Pakistan will brainstorm and share notes on local governance when Panchayati Raj Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar goes to Lahore Saturday with a contingent of parliamentarians, academics and chiefs of local bodies.
“The idea is to promote a better understanding between local governance institutions and grassroots activists of both countries. It’s an important initiative,” Aiyar told IANS.
“Local governance systems are different in both countries. We can learn a lot from each other,” he said.
A 60-member team of parliamentarians, academics and some 17 odd representatives of local bodies is accompanying Aiyar to Lahore where they will attend the two-day symposium on local governance that begins Monday. Daniyal Aziz, chairman of the National Reconstruction Bureau, which is organising the symposium, will represent Pakistan at the discussions.
Political uncertainty in Pakistan has clearly not dampened India’s enthusiasm for sustaining people-to-people diplomacy as a 10-member youth delegation will also be going to Lahore to promote goodwill and solidarity among the youth of both countries.
“A 10-member youth delegation is also going with me. Building bridges between youths could be a good way to shore up the peace process,” Aiyar said.
This is the first visit by an Indian minister after Pakistan plunged into turmoil and massive civil unrest after President Pervez Musharraf sacked Chief Justice Iftekhar Choudhry in March. In that sense, it would also provide the Indian government an opportunity to get to know the situation in that country from a man who knows Pakistan well and has friends there across the political divide.
Aiyar, a diplomat turned politician, has served as Indian consul-general in Karachi and was also the spokesman of the external affairs ministry in the early eighties.
The two sides will share their experience on local governance and discuss a spectrum of related issues like the legal framework of local governments, the history and results of Indian and Pakistani local government systems with focus on constitutional, legal, democratic, financial and administrative empowerment.
Fiscal devolution of powers, community empowerment and e-governance will also be discussed. A statement on India-India collaboration in sharing experiences of local governance is expected at the end of the symposium.
In December last year, India and Pakistan inked an agreement to set up a joint working group on local governance to promote the cause of good governance in the region and encourage adoption of appropriate practices by both the countries.