July 22, 2008	Tuesday	Rajab 18, 1429

RAWALPINDI, July 21: A convention of local bodies councillors associated with the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) here on Monday resolved to expose what it called Punjab government’s “political vendetta” against them and its failure to provide relief to the people at large.

Held in the backdrop of a tussle between the party and the PML-N-led government in Punjab over the powers of local bodies, PML-Q leaders at the Local Bodies Convention promised to hold a public meeting at Liaquat Bagh for the purpose but announced no date.

It was the first convention of its kind organised by the PML-Q since its crushing defeat in the February 18 general elections and was attended by Raja Basharat, the former Punjab minister of law and local government affairs, City Nazim Rawalpindi Raja Javed Ikhlas, town nazims and hundreds of PML-Q supporters.

Speakers at the convention accused the Punjab government and the rival PML-N of pursuing policies damaging to local government system and of vendetta against the pro-PML-Q councillors who dominate many local bodies in the province.

They said court cases were being fabricated against the pro-PML-Q members of local bodies.

They predicted that the ruling PPP-PML-N coalition would fall within two months and said the PML-Q would organise a mass rally against price-hike this month.

They also decided to file a writ petition against the Punjab government for stopping development budget of local government bodies, harassing party supporters and registering false cases against the elected representatives.

Speaker Ghulam Sarwar Khan told the convention that instead of addressing the worries of the masses regarding rising prices and increasing unemployment, the present rulers had created the issue of restoration of judges to divert public attention away from the real problems.