PPP gears up for Punjab LG polls

The PPP has made it mandatory for all office-bearers in the district cadre in Central Punjab to take part in the upcoming local government (LG) elections.

The decision was announced during a Punjab executive meeting chaired by Central Punjab President Raja Pervez Ashraf. At the meeting, the leadership instructed participants to complete the party's organisational structure within 15 days.

Two weeks later, another meeting will take place in Chinot, where office-bearers will be asked to report on the completion of the party's organisation, an office-bearer said.

Ashraf told the meeting that the PPP will actively take part in the LG elections and for that, the party needs an office-bearer at every union council. Everyone in the district cadre will be a contestant for LG elections.

The former prime minister also instructed the party to empower the district offices while asking the divisional office to limit its role to oversight. Division presidents will limit themselves to an advisory role and will not intervene in the day-to-day affairs of the party.

Later addressing the media at the camp of Divisional President Asif Bashir Bhagat in Mandi Bahauddin Ashraf talked with reference to the ongoing debate about new provinces and said new administrative units are not formed on the road or in the bazaar, as the procedure is laid in the Constitution.

This system, he said, should continue until a new system is introduced. "Empty debate for the sake of debate will cause harm," he said, adding that "no matter what the system is the real thing is how it is run".

Ashraf said the PPP's alliance with the PML-N is purely for Pakistan, which is the need of the hour. "The PPP has taken this decision by going beyond party politics," he added.

In response to questions, the former PM said that despite being in the government coalition, the PPP talks about public issues. "A wave of inflation has come all over the world. A new face of Pakistan has emerged as a country that resolves disputes," he said.

On the question of increasing load shedding, Ashraf said he disagreed with the government's solar policy.