ISLAMABAD (APP) – President Asif Ali Zardari Thursday night deleted the following four laws from the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution thereby allowing the provinces to make any changes in the local government laws they deemed appropriate to suit their own peculiar needs and circumstances. The laws thus deleted from the Sixth Schedule on the eve of the New Year include (i) The Balochistan Local Government Ordinance, 2001 (XVIII of 2001), (ii) The North West Frontier Province Local Government Ordinance, 2001 (XIV of 2001) (iii), The Punjab Local Government Ordinance, 2001 (XIII of 2001) and (iv) The Sindh Local Government Ordinance, 2001 (XXVI of 2001). Spokesperson to the President former Senator Farhatullah Babar said that while signing the Order few hours before the strike of the clock the President described it as the New Year gift to the nation to further advance the process of provincial autonomy and harmony. He said that as the clock strikes tonight heralding the advent of 2010 the provinces would be free to make their own laws relating to the local bodies either through legislation or ordinances. The provinces will also be free to do whatever they liked whether to hold elections to the local bodies on the expiry of their term or appoint administrators instead to run the affairs of local government. Farhatullah Babar said that although the Local Bodies is a provincial subject, the then dictatorship had included it in the sixth schedule of the Constitution thereby barring the provincial governments from making changes in it for six years until 31st December, 2009 without the prior approval of the President. The Sixth Schedule of the Constitution states that the laws included in it cannot be changed until December 31, 2009 without prior and formal approval of the President. Although this was patent interference in the provincial autonomy and against the spirit of the 1973 Constitution and was roundly criticised by the provinces and the people, the dictatorship insisted on usurping the provinces powers to manipulate politics at the grassroots level for pursuing its own political agenda, he said.LINK