PPP, allies to head into talks on LG law
April 19, 2012
KARACHI - Following the apex court’s suo motu notice of the delay in local bodies’ elections, the PPP has decided to resume the dialogue, for a consensus on the local government law and ultimate elections, with its allies.
In this respect, Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah on Wednesday, while presiding over a high-level meeting at the CM’s House, said the apex court had directed all the provinces to decide the schedule for local government elections. According to sources privy to the matter, the meeting decided that the Sindh government’s viewpoint on the LG elections schedule would be submitted to the court. Sindh would, added the sources, tell the court that it was holding talks with the stakeholders for reaching a consensus on a new local government law, and when it was done the government would approach the election commission for the elections.
Among others the meeting was attended by Sindh Law Minister Muhammad Ayaz Soomro, Sindh Finance Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, Sindh Chief Secretary Raja Abbas, Sindh Advocate General Abddul Fatah Malik, Law Secretary Ghulam Nabi Shah, Finance Secretary Naveed Kamran Baloch, Local Government Secretary Ali Ahmed, Sindh Provincial Election Commissioner Sono Khan Baloch and Sindh Minister for Local Government Agha Siraj Durrani. After the meeting, Durrani told a news conference that the general elections were likely to be delayed for a year.
The government, he added, wanted to hold the local government elections before the general elections in the country, but it depended on when the ally parties reached a consensus on a new law of governance.
He said he was not in the position to announce the date(s) for the LG or LB elections in Sindh, because the consultation process over a new law was yet to be finalised and the electoral rolls were not complete either. Durrani further said that the brewing security situation in Sindh could be another factor of the delay in local government elections. He, however, said the PPP would resume talks with its ally parties.
The minister also said that conspiracies were being hatched to weaken the PPP. He also said that talking about Mohajir province was an absurd and obnoxious thing.