Court verdict on LB polls justifies PPP stance, says Kaira
Our Correspondent, Saturday, November 09, 2013, Source
PAKISTAN People’s Party (PPP) Secretary Information Qamar Zaman Kaira said the decision of Lahore High Court for holding Punjab local bodies’ elections on party basis vindicated his party’s stand that challenged Punjab Local Government Act, 2013, as against article 140(A) of the constitution of Pakistan.
In a statement on Friday, he said it may be recalled that PPP challenged Punjab Local Government Law 2013 in high court on the ground that its application would deny the exercise of political, financial and executive powers at local level by elected representatives with political identity. The PPP’s Secretary General Latif Khosa filed the petition and pleaded the case against the Local Government Law,2013, of the Punjab Government. He said Benazir Bhutto also challenged in 1988 the elections on non-party basis introduced by Ziaul Haq meant to perpetuate his rule but the Supreme Court rejected it by adjudicating that political parties were the essence of democratic process which was the spirit of constitution. He said reintroduction of non-party basis election by PML-N government tantamount to proving them as the ideologue of usurper. Kaira said the insistence of Punjab government to hold elections on non-party basis reflected their apprehensions of erosion of their political support base due to the unprecedented price hike and worsening law and order situation in the country.
He regretted that incumbent rulers wanted to make local bodies institutions as subservient to bureaucracy through the Provincial Local Commission assigned with powers to sack chairmen of local authorities. He expressed surprise over PML-N leadership’s oblivion of Charter of Democracy signed in May 2006 that unequivocally stipulated that elections at all tiers would be held on party basis. He observed that their preference for non-party elections was fueled by PML-N leaders’ disposition of concentration of power without realising that absolute power corrupted absolutely. Kaira mentioned that retaining of four ministries by PM, and making nothing to move in Punjab without the nod of Shahbaz Sharif and Hamza Shahbaz, spoke volumes of their questionable commitment to democratic ethos and the dividends of collective wisdom, including participatory democracy.
PTI meetings: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Punjab leadership has finalised the schedule for holding divisional bodies review meetings in the province in connection with local government elections campaign. PTI provincial leadership with the consent of Secretary General Jahangir Tareen issued the schedule for holding divisional review meetings in the province on Friday as part of local government elections campaign.
The PTI provincial leadership had already formed committees at district level for local bodies elections which were overseeing the process of selection of candidates, besides looking after the elections campaign.
According to the schedule, Jahangir Tareen along with provincial leadership, including Ijaz Chaudhary and Dr Yasmin Rashid, would visit various divisions of Punjab, staring from Sargodha division on November 9.
They would visit Rawalpindi division on Nov 10, Gujranwala on Nov 17, Sahiwal and Faisalabad on Nov 18 and DG Khan on Nov 19.
