|
|
|
| July 14, 2005 | Thursday | Jumadi-us-Sani 6, 1426 |
APC asks govt to hold LB polls in Islamabad
ISLAMABAD, July 13: The major political parties of the country have asked the government to hold local bodies polls in Islamabad and threatened to launch a movement if it does not announce an election schedule in this regard. In a joint declaration, issued after an All Parties Conference (APC) convened by the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) here on Wednesday, the representatives of the political parties said it was the constitutional and fundamental right of the residents of Islamabad to elect their representatives at the local level.
The APC was participated by the representatives of Pakistan People’s Party, Pakistan Muslim League-N, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (Samiul Haq), Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (F), Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan and some 21 other religious, political, social, students, traders and labour organizations.
The declaration said Islamabad had been created through the martial law regulations and its residents had not been granted their basic and fundamental rights. It said Islamabad was being ruled by bureaucrats and it was the only capital city in the world where local body institutions were not functioning.
It further said that the Capital Development Authority (CDA) had failed to provide any facility to the people of Islamabad and the rulers must learn a lesson from the failure of the CDA. It said most of the localities in Islamabad were lacking facilities like roads, transport, drinking water, hospitals and housing.
The declaration said CDA was not answerable to any institution and there was need to make it answerable to the people. It said powers should be handed over to the elected representatives of the people.
“The National Reconstruction Bureau (NRB) has announced that the local polls will be held in Islamabad in October this year. However, it seems the bureaucrats have successfully pressurised the government to postpone the LG elections in the capital city,” the declaration said.
PRESS CONFERENCE: Meanwhile, MMA leader Liaquat Baloch and Senior NWFP Minister Sirajul Haq speaking in separate press conferences warned the federal government against taking any step to damage the NWFP government in response to the passage of Hasba Bill 2005.
The MMA leaders said the religious alliance would give an aggressive response to any move of the centre to damage the MMA- led-NWFP government.
They alleged that the NWFP President of Pakistan Muslim League (PML) Amir Muqam had been threatening NWFP Chief Minister Akram Durrani that the centre might take some action against the provincial government if the assembly passed the Hasba Bill.
They were of the view that by opposing the bill, the federal government was committing a violation of the Constitution. They announced that the NWFP government would pass the Hasba Act in any case.
They said if the centre imposed governor rule in the province, then the MMA would launch a forceful agitation that would continue till the ouster of the rulers.
Sirajul Haq said the MMA members had briefed PML President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain on the bill before its presentation to the NWFP Assembly.
|
|
|
|
