ISLAMABAD: A high-level meeting on Local Government System was held in Lahore on Monday with Prime Minister Imran Khan in the chair.

The meeting was attended by Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar, Provincial Law Minister Basharat Raja, Provincial Finance Minister Hashim Jawan Bakht, Provincial Housing Minister Mian Mehmood ur Rashid and other senior officials.

The prime minister was apprised of progress on implementation of the local government system. He was also given a detailed briefing on Punjab Municipal Services Program.

Senior officials of Local Government and Community Development Department apprised the prime minister on planning in this regard.

In Sept the following year, Federal Law Minister Farogh Naseem had hinted that the federal government could invoke Article 149 (4) of the Constitution in Sindh, particularly Karachi.

Talking to Geo News, Farogh Naseem had said it was his personal thought and he would table the recommendation before the Karachi Strategic Committee was established by the prime minister.

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He had said viewing the exacerbating situation of Karachi it was necessary that the centre interfere for betterment of the megalopolis.

The law minister had clarified that the Article 149 (4) of the constitution neither talked about the governor rule nor any emergency rather it was an independent Article which empowered the federal government to give directions to any provincial government if there was a mismanagement in the matters of peace, tranquility and economy.

“You have witnessed the situation of Karachi in last 11 years that it has produced nothing but piles of garbage and filth, water scarcity and flies,” he had said.

To a query, he had said when the 18th Amendment was made the Pakistan Peoples Party and the Pakistan Muslim League-N would have struck Article 149 out of the constitution if it was against the provincial autonomy.