Core committee meeting: Delays in holding elections will not be tolerated

Four member committee formed to talk to political groups, Punjab government on staging free, fair elections on time.

KARACHI: The ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) on Wednesday decided in their core committee meeting that no delay will be tolerated in holding the next general elections and attempts to postpone the elections will be thwarted.

The meeting in Bilawal House, Karachi also formed a four member committee consisting Senator Raza Rabbani, Khurshid Shah, Farooq Naek, and Nazar Gondal, that will hold talks with different political groups and especially Punjab government to take stock of the prevailing law and order situation in the country and on staging free and fair elections on time .

The newly formed committee will meet with Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif on Thursday.

Senator Rabbani also made contact with Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz's Ishaq Dar.

The meeting was chaired by president Asif Ali Zardari and premier Raja Pervez Ashraf. Former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gillani and PPP Punjab chief Mian Manzoor Wattoo attended the meeting along with Qamar Zaman Kaira, Raza Rabbani, Naveed Qamar, Khurshid Shah, Jahangir Badar and other leaders.

The two hour meeting noted that if elections could be held in war torn Afghanistan and Iraq, there was no reason that elections should be delayed in Pakistan.

Spokesperson to the president, Senator Farhatullah Babar said the meeting also expressed its determination to maintain law and order at all cost and to protect the life and property of citizens against any adventurism and under all circumstances.