SAHIWAL, Oct 2: Punjab Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi has linked the provision of funds for the newly-elected nazims and councillors of Sahiwal and Pakpattan to the outcome of Oct 6 election results in favour of the PML-backed candidates.

Addressing the elected representatives at the Circuit House here on Sunday, the chief minister warned that he would not tolerate violation of the party discipline.

He asked the opposition candidates to withdraw their candidatures against PML candidates for Sahiwal district nazim Naveed Aslam Khan Lodhi and Pakpattan district nazim Mian Muhammad Amjad Joyia and tehsil nazims of the two towns.

However, in a keep-it-up tone, the chief minister also felicitated the elected representatives on their success.

The chief minister said the Punjab government had provided development funds of Rs2 billion to the Sahiwal district and Rs1.75 billion to Pakpattan district during the last two-and-a-half-years.

He promised to announce uplift packages for both the towns during his next visit which was due shortly.

Speaking on the occasion, provincial minister Arshad Khan Lodhi and federal minister Chaudhry Naurez Shakoor Khan stressed the need to replace old political faces with the new ones in the larger interest of the country.

Meanwhile, PML district president and MPA Malik Jalaldin Dhakkoo, MNA Rai Azizullah and MPA Waheed Asghar Dogar did not attend the chief minister address in protest.

While talking to different delegations at the residence of former provincial minister Malik Iqbal Ahmed Langrial, the chief minister said that opposition parties, particularly the ARD, were badly defeated in the previous election and would face the same fate on Oct 6 elections.

At least 16 nazims extended their cooperation to the chief minister on this occasion.

Earlier, Pervaiz Elahi visited the house of federal science and technology minister Chaudhry Naurez Shakoor Khan and condoled with him over the death of his mother.