Cabinet voices concern over Punjab elections

Caretaker information minister says president should not work as the representative of one party

PESHAWAR:

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) cabinet has shown strong reservation over the Punjab elections on the ground that it would directly impact the election results in other provinces.

Caretaker Information Minister Feroz Jamal Shah Kaka Khel has said that a summery to recruit more social media influencers in the province has also been stopped.

Briefing media bout cabinet meeting here Tuesday, he said that 5,000 influencers have already been working in different departments and 1,100 have been fired from the information department but a new summery has surfaced now under which the previous PTI government planned to recruit more influencers in various departments with an estimated cost of Rs231 million.

“Billions of rupees have been embezzled in the province as a result all departments are on the verge of bankruptcy. Federal government provided billion of rupees for the tribal districts but there is no record of their use,” he noted, adding that in the past 13 years only one mega project BRT was approved for the province.

“The election commission has proposed October 8 as election date in K-P on the recommendation of governor and this date is still in place,” he said, adding that in October new delimitation for constituencies would be complete as per the new census.

“The cabinet is of the view that polls should be held on a single day across the province,” he maintained, adding that currently the law and order and financial situation in the province is very poor.

“The president of Pakistan represents the unity of the country but his actions are contrary to his post,” he lamented, adding that the president should not work as the representative of one party.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, April 12^th, 2023.