Pakistan People's Party (PPP) leaders at a function here Sunday stressed upon the provincial government leadership in Punjab to give schedule of the local government polls in two-month time, otherwise a movement would be launched by their party, they warned. This was demanded at a convention organised by the PPP Punjab at Aiwan-e-Iqbal on Sunday.
Addressing the convention, PPP Punjab President Imtiaz Safdar Waraich asked the Punjab government to announce a date for local bodies elections at the earliest.
He said the PPP had won all local bodies elections in the past and added the party would win all elections from every district in future if it was held on political basis.
He said the Punjab government had opened the door of corruption in the province by spending local bodies funds on fake projects and providing financial advantages to PML-N workers and leaders through contracts of several projects. Federal Minister and PPP Lahore President Samina Khalid Ghurki said local bodies representatives served people of their local communities and PPP workers were doing the job like their ethical duties.
She said the cause of the convention was to stress the Punjab government to transfer powers and funds to union council levels by holding local bodies' elections on an urgent basis.
State Minister for Water and Power Tasneem Qureshi said local bodies elections should be held on party basis as it provided fresh and new leaders to the nation which was the need of the time.
PPP leader Chaudhry Manzoor said PML-N President Nawaz Sharif and Punjab CM Shahbaz Sharif were conscious about the constitution but forgot that local bodies were as important according to the constitution as parliament and provincial assemblies.
He said the Sharif brothers showed their sympathies with the judiciary so they should also obey orders of the Supreme Court on local bodies elections.
Opposition Leader in Punjab Assembly Raja Riaz Ahmad said the PPP would not allow the provincial government to avoid local bodies elections.
MPA Sajida Meer said the PPP would protest if women representation was not included in the Punjab Assembly bill for local bodies as democracy was incomplete without the participation of women.
A resolution was also presented by the PPP Lahore president to condemn the blasphemous movie which was passed by the session.
PPP Punjab General Secretary Haji Aziz Ur Rehman Chan, Information Secretary Raja Amir, former MPA Ghulam Fareed Kathia, PPP Lahore leader Afnan Butt and People's Youth Organisation representative Babar Sohail Butt also spoke on the convention.
Former nazims, deputy nazims and councillors of local bodies said it was only Punjab that in contradiction to other provinces was creating hurdle in holding of election of the local government institution.
Imtiaz Safdar Warraich said that their party strongly believed in transfer of power at grass root level and would strive for the same in future.
Former Leader of Opposition in Punjab Assembly MPA Raja Riaz criticising Punjab government for not transferring powers to district nazims.
Other leaders said that PML-N does not want local bodies elections because of fear of defeat. Samina Khalid Ghurki, Sajida Mir, Faiza Malik, Khurram Latif Khosa, Khawja Amir and a large number of party workers were present on the occasion.