‘Govt ready to hold local bodies elections’

Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar has said the government was ready to hold local bodies elections.

The CM said with party-based elections, genuine leadership would emerge at the grassroots level and direct elections would bring about real change in local bodies politics, he argued.

“PTI will field strong candidates for the local bodies elections,” he said adding that sincere and strong candidates would be chosen from the party after consultations. “The new local government Act would resolve the problems of the people at their doorstep.”

The chief minister also condemned the terrorists’ attack on security forces’ check post in the Kech and a landmine blast in the Sui area of Balochistan.

In a statement issued on Friday, the CM said, “We pay homage to the sacrifices of the martyred soldiers for the beloved homeland and all our sympathies are with the families of the brave martyrs.”

He said the martyrs have sacrificed their precious lives for maintaining peace in their homeland. “A handful of centrifugal elements cannot lower the morale of the nation through the spate of terrorism.”

The CM said: “The whole nation is fully united against the menace of terrorism, extremism and sectarianism as Pakistan has made everlasting sacrifices in the war against terrorism, he stressed.”

Earlier, Buzdar has termed the Naya Pakistan National Health Card a historic initiative of the PTI-led government for public welfare as there is no precedent of such an unprecedented programme in the history of Pakistan.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 29^th, 2022.