Politics and Planning: Cloud of uncertainty looms over local body elections
It appears that vacillating political circumstances in the country will likely delay local body elections in Punjab, as the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N), a huge contender in the political game, is yet to agree on the local body law.
While no official word on the matter has been issued on the governmental level so far, credible government sources disclose that several head honchos and top ministers have been individually informed about a few months of postponement from the original date of May.
The PML-N had earlier made a commitment with the government that the standing committee would consult on the local body law collectively, but in the new political situation, the PML-N has informed the government that it will hold clause-wise consultations on local government law.
Per sources, Law Minister Raja Basharat and Local Government Minister Mian Mahmoodur Rasheed had offered the PML-N to take the draft law home, read it and discuss it in the standing committee at once, but the PML-N has refused to accept the proposal and said that they would review clause-by-clause in the standing committee meetings.
“PML-N has informed the government on the matter. So far, 125 articles of the proposed law have been consulted, while about 100 articles remain to be debated in the standing committee,” shared a source privy to the matter.
A large number of ministers and members of the assembly, including PTI leaders, are of the view that local body elections should be held after June, while some constituencies suggested that elections should be held in May after the announcement of a reduction in petrol and electricity prices by the Prime Minister.
Read ECP reschedules Punjab LG elections to May 29
According to credible government sources, the rising political tension in the country has cast a cloud of uncertainty over the conduct of local body elections in Punjab.
Addressing the likelihood of the delay, they said that the local body law has not been passed in the assembly yet, which will take a toll on the election arrangements.
Per informants, the next meeting of the standing committee is expected in a few days, but due to the condition of clause-wise consultation by the PML-N, there is a strong possibility that the approval of the local body law in the assembly will be significantly delayed.
“Ramzan will begin next month and it will be difficult to hold local body elections in May. The PTI and its allies are also not in favor of holding elections in May, because of the current political crisis,” the source informed.
Punjab Local Government Minister Mian Mahmood Rasheed while talking to Express Tribune said that the government and party under the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan are in favour of holding local body elections as per the schedule fixed by the Election Commission but PML-N is unnecessarily prolonging the law-making process.
“Even within the PTI and the government, many of our colleagues are of the opinion that local body elections should be held after the next budget in view of Ramzan, during which political parties cannot run a campaign. If there is a delay in the passage of the Local Government Act, then we will consider requesting the Election Commission to change the schedule of the Local Government Election a few months later,” he told.
Whereas, Punjab Assembly Opposition spokesperson Imran Goraiah, said that their party has been of the view that PTI’s proposed local government system is not in the public interest and it will only aggravate the problem.
“The government wants the hasty processing of the proposed law without much deliberation, while the PML-N wants every clause of the proposed law to be discussed in detail to ensure the interest of the people. Even if the process takes some time, the government should not panic,” the PML-N representative told The Express Tribune.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 7th, 2022.