2013 general elections: Task force to select PPP candidates for Punjab
Zardari asks party lawmakers to stop blocking Punjab Assembly proceedings.
ISLAMABAD:
President Asif Ali Zardari has announced that a task force will be set up to pick candidates for his ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) to contest the next general elections in Punjab.
Presiding over a meeting of PPP lawmakers from Punjab here on Wednesday night, President Zardari, who is also co-chairperson of the PPP, said that his move was aimed at preparing the party for the next elections scheduled for 2013.
A handout statement issued by the president’s media office did not mention when the task force will be set up or who will be its members.
Punjab is thought to be the most important political battleground and whosoever rules the province will dominate the country.
Insiders in the PPP said that President Zardari appears to be aware of this fact and is vetting his plans to outsmart the rival Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz in Punjab.
According to the statement, Zardari also directed the PPP lawmakers from Punjab to play the role of a constructive opposition in the provincial assembly and stop blocking the house proceedings through noisy protests.
Briefing the media, presidential spokesperson Farhatullah Babar said
that Zardari told the lawmakers that the party had a
long history of fighting dictatorship and democracy had been restored after huge sacrifices.
He said the PPP lawmakers in the Punjab Assembly must maintain decorum in the house as it is a symbol of democracy and should not do anything which may undermine its spirit.
The president’s directives come after a month of noisy protests in the Punjab Assembly both by PPP and PML-Q members, often hindering the proceedings and embarrassing the government.
President Zardari said he was aware of the difficulties faced by the PPP lawmakers in Punjab in respect of their development funds after their ouster from the provincial government.
The president said he had already discussed with the prime minister to constitute a committee of the party lawmakers to look into their problems and suggest measures for the continuation of their development projects with the help of federal government, if needed.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 7th, 2011.
President Asif Ali Zardari has announced that a task force will be set up to pick candidates for his ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) to contest the next general elections in Punjab.
Presiding over a meeting of PPP lawmakers from Punjab here on Wednesday night, President Zardari, who is also co-chairperson of the PPP, said that his move was aimed at preparing the party for the next elections scheduled for 2013.
A handout statement issued by the president’s media office did not mention when the task force will be set up or who will be its members.
Punjab is thought to be the most important political battleground and whosoever rules the province will dominate the country.
Insiders in the PPP said that President Zardari appears to be aware of this fact and is vetting his plans to outsmart the rival Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz in Punjab.
According to the statement, Zardari also directed the PPP lawmakers from Punjab to play the role of a constructive opposition in the provincial assembly and stop blocking the house proceedings through noisy protests.
Briefing the media, presidential spokesperson Farhatullah Babar said
that Zardari told the lawmakers that the party had a
long history of fighting dictatorship and democracy had been restored after huge sacrifices.
He said the PPP lawmakers in the Punjab Assembly must maintain decorum in the house as it is a symbol of democracy and should not do anything which may undermine its spirit.
The president’s directives come after a month of noisy protests in the Punjab Assembly both by PPP and PML-Q members, often hindering the proceedings and embarrassing the government.
President Zardari said he was aware of the difficulties faced by the PPP lawmakers in Punjab in respect of their development funds after their ouster from the provincial government.
The president said he had already discussed with the prime minister to constitute a committee of the party lawmakers to look into their problems and suggest measures for the continuation of their development projects with the help of federal government, if needed.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 7th, 2011.