Tanvir Ashraf Kaira Secretary General PPP Punjab, has demanded the Punjab Government to hold local bodies elections in the province early adding that the PPP was fully prepared to contest such elections at all levels.
He said this in a statement issued from here today adding that the Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf should not boycott the local bodies’ elections because such decision would hit the very basis of the local government affecting its representative character.
He maintained that the track record of the present Punjab Government regarding the local bodies was hopelessly disappointing because it did not want to devolve powers at the grassroots level.
He observed that the present government in Punjab had managed the postponement of local bodies’ elections on one pretext or another by bringing amendments in the law.
He pointed out that the government of Punjab diverted the local bodies’ funds to complete the projects in big cities and thus depriving the rural population from the delivery of services so scarce there. Lahore Metro Bus project was completed by diverting the local bodies’ funds by the government, he stated.
He maintained that the reconciliation of the funds used by the government other than the local bodies’ projects was still pending and the Auditor General had raised objections in the context of as not valid charge.
He pointed out that the recent survey conducted by PILDAT suggested that the people were heavily in favor of local government to address the local problems through their representatives of local bodies.
He added that he was not surprised by the survey because the Punjab Government had treated the rural population on discriminatory basis and provided the facilities to the urban population at their expense.
He concluded that such development strategy was flawed because it meant to create tension between the rural and urban population that impaired the process of integration of the people for the betterment of the nation.
