WISE organized a Provincial Convention, “Local Govt. Elections in Punjab and Devolution of Powers”. Besides, govt. representatives, LG experts and civil society activists, around 300 women activists, ex-councilors and members of different LG networks from different districts; including Nankana Sahib, Sheikhupura, Okara, Khanewal, Kasur, Gujranwala and Lahore joined the event.

Among main speakers were; Zahid Islam ED Sangat Development Foundation, renowned journalist and executive director IDEA Salman Abid, Senior advocate Mobinuddin Qazi, Dr. prof. Irum Khalid, HOD department of political science, University of the Punjab, Youth representative Ahsan Kamray, Shoaib Ahmed, representative of Local Govt.& Community Development Department – Punjab, Athar Abbas, representative of the Provincial Election Commission and Kanwal Liaqat, MPA of PML-N, and committee member of Punjab Local Government.

The speakers emphasized that while local government is technically the third tier of government, it is fundamentally the first tier of democracy. They asserted that democracy is incomplete without the meaningful representation of people in local institutions. For the past five years, Punjab has lacked a local government, with bureaucracy taking over its functions, which is a clear violation of Article 140-A of the constitution. Three provinces; Sindh, KPK and Baluchistan and even Azad Kashmir have elected LG system now, however, people of Punjab are still deprived of their constitutional right to elected local governance. The Govt. of Punjab should hold LG polls without further delay in the province.