Election on LG reserved seats within a month: CM

Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Monday congratulated all the candidates, irrespective of their party affiliation, who have returned in the local bodies' election.

He also disclosed that elections on reserved seats would be held within a month to complete the process.

This he said while talking to the media at Expo Center where he visited the Iranian Single Country Exhibition on Monday. He was accompanied by his Special Assistant on Investment Syed Qasim Naveed.

Shah appreciated and thanked law enforcement agencies, including police, Rangers, FC, and Pak Army for ensuring the peaceful process of the election though there were some threat alerts.

Talking about the delay in declaring election results, the CM said that he has talked to Election Commissioner Sindh with the request to declare the results at the earliest. Murad said that he has also spoken with Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman and told him that it was not only his party [Jamat Islami] but the PPP was also not receiving the results.

He added that the Local Government Minister Syed Nasir Shah was in constant touch with Hafiz Naeem and others, and they all were trying to get the results at the earliest.

To a question, the CM said that the government would cooperate with the new mayor of Karachi and strengthen him. "I am sure the new mayor will not cry for want of power but focus to serve the people of this city," he said and added the local bodies have all the powers they need to serve the people.

Earlier, the chief minister visited different stalls set up by Iranian companies at the Expo and was briefed by them about the quality of their products. Later the chief minister attended the MOU signing ceremony between TDAP and Iran Trade Promotion Organisation.

Speaking at the ceremony the CM said that there was a dire need to enhance the volume of trade between the two brother countries. "Pakistan and Iran are religiously and culturally brother countries," he said and added that he has a diary of his grandfather with him that he had written in the Persian language and in those days the official language of Sindh was Persian.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 17^th, 2023.