ISLAMABAD, 21 August — Authorities are working on a plan to ensure an informal but strong presence of military officials at district level to give a helping hand to the new elected local governments, it was learned yesterday. The plan envisages reconstituting the existing army monitoring teams as district support teams to ensure the presence of army in each district. Military officers to the rank of brigadier and colonel will lead these teams.

The authorities have planned the measure in view of the complexities in the transition from the old to the new system of governance, an official said. “The aim is to help the new system take root.”

Reports that the transition process has been encountered with a number of problems prompted the authorities to seek army’s help. The role these district support teams will play in running the affairs of the local government is yet to be determined.

What is clear at this point is that these teams, which would operate under an informal arrangement, will help the elected district and tehsil chiefs (nazims) in the smooth running of the affairs and in removing possible impediments.

Other sources say intelligence agencies will also have a latent role to play. They will keep an eye on the elected representatives to ensure that the new leaders do not indulge in corruption and malpractice.

These teams, it is said, would not interfere in the day-to-day affairs of the district governments but would be at hand when their support is required.

Apparently they would also not be acting like army monitoring teams which have been influencing all the major decisions of the district administrations, approving development schemes and raiding different government agencies and departments. “The role of these teams would be entirely supportive,” an official said. The role of these teams would remain informal, as they are not recognized by the local government law 2001 promulgated by all the four provincial governments to give legal effect to the new district government setup. The army monitoring teams were deployed soon after the October 1999 coup that propelled Gen. Pervez Musharraf to power. These teams worked to make civil administration, police, hospitals, local government institutions and others, work according to the expectations of the military leadership.

The monitoring teams have been solving the problems faced by ordinary people due to the indifferent attitude of government functionaries in different departments.

Meanwhile, a report in Urdu-language daily Jang said the new power devolution plan which has hit snags, may run into deep trouble if the government allows intelligence agencies to monitor the working of newly elected municipal councilors and their nazims or naib nazims.