‘Undemocratic’: Zardari vows legal steps against partyless polls

PPP will take an active part in local body elections across the country, says Zardari

KARACHI:

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Co-chairman and former president Asif Ali Zardari said on Thursday the local body elections are a nursery for democracy and they should be held on a party basis.

“PPP will knock at the doors of the courts of law if non-party based elections are planned in cantonment areas,” he remarked.

Addressing party leaders and delegations from various districts in Karachi, he said PPP will take an active part in local body elections across the country.

Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah, MNA Faryal Talpur, PPP Vice president Sherry Rehman, Senator Saeed Ghani, MPA Sharjeel Memon, Bakhtawar Bhutto Zardari and other party leaders were present in the meetings.

Zardari advised the party workers to prepare for the elections and start a mass contact movement. “Soon large rallies will be organised as part of our campaign for local body elections.”

The former president said Lyari was a stronghold of PPP and he will personally visit various constituencies in his campaign, including Lyari.



The district leaders briefed Zardari about the reorganisation of the party, preparations for local bodies’ elections and the development issues in their respective areas.

Earlier on Thursday, the National Assembly approved the bill to conduct local body polls on non-party basis with a majority vote.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 27^th, 2015.