With local government polls just round the corner, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has decided to contest the elections solo in Punjab.
“We’ve completed our homework on all the 36 districts in Punjab,” said PTI President Ejaz Chaudhary adding that his party has decided not to get into an alliance in all nine divisions of Punjab.
Thousands of our candidates are running their door-to-door campaign in more than 4,000 union councils of the province, he told The Express Tribune.
Chaudhry however, explained that if the need be PTI would go for seat adjustments with some local parties in districts of upper Punjab. Jamaat-e-Islami could be the better option pertaining to this adjustment, he said.
Meanwhile, officials of the party pointed out that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz would try using its influence over constituencies, a move that they termed ‘pre-poll rigging’.
“There is trust deficit, and the practical steps taken by PML-N like holding elections under the district administration, non-party elections, limitations point towards their strategy of rigging,” observed PTI Deputy Information Secretary Adnan Randhawa.
“LB elections should be held soon to empower the people at local level–yes, local governments have to be appropriately empowered and the polls must be credible, elements which are missing in PML-N’s local bodies’ strategy.”
Responding to Randhawa’s point, PML-N Senator Zafar Ali Shah said his party did not believe in manipulating LG polls. “It’s mere a blame game PTI is playing for political mileage—Punjab government is only the facilitator in the overall poll process going on in the province ,” he told The Express Tribune.
Legalities of polls in Punjab
The Lahore High Court has ruled in favour of fresh delimitations in the province, said Ejaz Chaudhry. PTI challenged newly passed Punjab LG Polls Act, 2013 under which the provincial government was empowered to appoint district returning officers, assistant returning officers and presiding officers to commission the LG elections in Punjab, he added.
PTI Provincial President continued to state that these officers will have to be selected from multiple autonomous bodies, divisions and civil servants. The LHC ruled out that it does fall under the provincial government power, he explained. It will be the job of the ECP, it further observed. “So, this limitation process stands cancelled currently,” he added.
PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi also welcomed the latest move to mark fresh delimitations in the province. “This step will pave the way for fair elections in the province,” he said while commenting on Supreme Court’s order in which it let the top poll body to reschedule LG polls in Sindh and Punjab.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 14th, 2014.