January 03, 2008	Thursday	Zilhaj 23, 1428

RAWALPINDI, Jan 2: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) on Wednesday reiterated demand for abolition of local government system for fair and transparent election.

Former MPA and PPP leader Agha Riazul Islam talking to Dawn said they had videotapes of local representatives campaigning for the candidates of Pakistan Muslim League (PML-Q) by utilising state resources.

He said that the videotapes would be presented to Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and he would be asked to abolish the local government system.

He said majority of the Town Nazims were close relatives of former federal and provincial ministers and were using the resources and staff of their respective town municipal administrations (TMAs) in electioneering of PML-Q candidates.

“We have already brought the issue to the notice of the authorities and in case no action was taken, the videotapes would be provided to private TV channels,” Mr Islam warned.

He said that Town Nazims might ignore the instructions of CEC. “How can one expect of a town nazim to follow the law when his uncle is fighting election,” he added.

The PPP leader said Rawal Town Nazim Sheikh Rashid Shafique was actively involved in election campaign of his uncle former railway minister Sheikh Rashid who was contesting election from NA-55, 56.

Similarly, he said Potohar Town Nazim Hamid Nawaz Raja was cousin of Raja Basharat the PML-Q candidate for NA-54. He said for town nazim, relationship with the candidate was more important than law.

Former MPA and PPP-nominated candidate for NA-55 Amir Fida Paracha said that Town Nazim Taxila Siddique Khan, brother of former federal minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan contesting election from Taxila constituency, was blatantly misusing the TMA resources in the election campaign of his brother.

They said the videotapes contained the entire evidences of the elected representatives including the vehicles of TMAs during their campaign for the PML-Q candidates.

To a question they said that the main objective behind the postponement of election for six weeks was nothing but to allow the elected representatives to further misuse the public offices and state money for the election campaign of the rival political parties.