Punjab opposition parties agree on seat adjustment against PML-N
Opposition parties, including PPP, JI, PTI, PAT, JUP and MWM demand resignations of four ECP members
Opposition leaders meet in Lahore on September 6, 2015. PHOTO: TWITTER/@ChMSarwar
LAHORE:
At least seven opposition political parties in the Punjab Assembly agreed on Sunday to seat adjustment in the upcoming local government (LG) polls to defeat the ruling-Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz candidates in every provincial constituency.
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT), Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), Jamiat-e-Ulema-e-Pakistan (JUP) and Majlis-e-Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) have decided to carry out seat adjustment during the upcoming LG elections, sources privy to the development told The Express Tribune.
PPP central Punjab president Manzoor Wattoo called a meeting at his residence of all opposition parties of the Punjab to discuss the strategy to be adopted in the LG polls, the source added.
Read: Punjab LG polls: PTI may try out rejected poll aspirants of PML-N
PPP senior leader from southern Punjab, Makhdoom Ahmed Mehmood, PTI Punjab organiser Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar, PAT’s Khurram Nawaz Gandapur and JI leaders Liaquat Baloch and Ameerul Azeem attended the meeting.
The parties demanded that all four members of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) should resign from their posts over their alleged failure to carryout free and fair general elections in 2013.
Addressing a joint press conference after the meeting, the former Punjab governor said all parties had agreed to put up a fight against the PML-N, which was employing state machinery in the days leading up to the LG polls.
Wattoo demanded the ECP to take strict notice of the disbursement of development funds by the government to their candidates in the wake of the LG polls. Funds worth Rs20 million per candidate were being disbursed, he claimed.
The meeting was called in the wake of PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s recent week-long Punjab’s visit to revamp the party in the province.
Last month, PPP had announced it will not take part in any by-elections unless the existing commission is revamped. The announcement came after PTI chief Imran Khan’s call for four members of the commission to quit and for the commission to be reformed.
Read: PPP backs Imran's call for ECP members to resign
Imran had called for the resignation of four senior members of the ECP after a judicial inquiry commission released in July a report into rigging during the May 2013 general elections.
Meanwhile, the PTI is all set to stage a sit-in in front of the ECP headquarters in Islamabad on October 4 if the four members do not resign.
The ECP has already notified the schedule to execute phase-wise LG polls in Punjab and Sindh. The polling for the first phase will be held on October 31 while on November 19 and December 3 for the second and third phases respectively.
At least seven opposition political parties in the Punjab Assembly agreed on Sunday to seat adjustment in the upcoming local government (LG) polls to defeat the ruling-Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz candidates in every provincial constituency.
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT), Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), Jamiat-e-Ulema-e-Pakistan (JUP) and Majlis-e-Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) have decided to carry out seat adjustment during the upcoming LG elections, sources privy to the development told The Express Tribune.
PPP central Punjab president Manzoor Wattoo called a meeting at his residence of all opposition parties of the Punjab to discuss the strategy to be adopted in the LG polls, the source added.
Read: Punjab LG polls: PTI may try out rejected poll aspirants of PML-N
PPP senior leader from southern Punjab, Makhdoom Ahmed Mehmood, PTI Punjab organiser Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar, PAT’s Khurram Nawaz Gandapur and JI leaders Liaquat Baloch and Ameerul Azeem attended the meeting.
The parties demanded that all four members of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) should resign from their posts over their alleged failure to carryout free and fair general elections in 2013.
Addressing a joint press conference after the meeting, the former Punjab governor said all parties had agreed to put up a fight against the PML-N, which was employing state machinery in the days leading up to the LG polls.
Wattoo demanded the ECP to take strict notice of the disbursement of development funds by the government to their candidates in the wake of the LG polls. Funds worth Rs20 million per candidate were being disbursed, he claimed.
The meeting was called in the wake of PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s recent week-long Punjab’s visit to revamp the party in the province.
Last month, PPP had announced it will not take part in any by-elections unless the existing commission is revamped. The announcement came after PTI chief Imran Khan’s call for four members of the commission to quit and for the commission to be reformed.
Read: PPP backs Imran's call for ECP members to resign
Imran had called for the resignation of four senior members of the ECP after a judicial inquiry commission released in July a report into rigging during the May 2013 general elections.
Meanwhile, the PTI is all set to stage a sit-in in front of the ECP headquarters in Islamabad on October 4 if the four members do not resign.
The ECP has already notified the schedule to execute phase-wise LG polls in Punjab and Sindh. The polling for the first phase will be held on October 31 while on November 19 and December 3 for the second and third phases respectively.