LAHORE, Dec 16: Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi has started preparing the party for the 2007 general elections by organizing all its wings at all tiers, warning all concerned that their performance will remain under constant check. During a visit to the Muslim League House on Friday, he told the party leaders that they should assume that in the next elections they would be pitted against all other parties.

The chief minister, who is also provincial president of the party, met the head and secretaries of various wings, asked about their performance and issued them instructions to improve it. The chief minister was also briefed about the problems being faced by party workers.

He spent some three hours at the Muslim League House. Provincial secretary-general Chaudhry Zaheeruddin, Law Minister Raja Basharat, information secretary Senator Kamil Ali Agha, ministers Aleem Khan, Mian Aslam Iqbal and Nasim Lodhi and district nazim Mian Amer Mahmood were also present.

The chief minister was told that ministers and functionaries of the local government did not give much importance to the PML workers because of which they could not get their problems solved.

Mr Elahi said a minister would visit the Muslim League House every day and listen to complaints. Orders which could be enforced by the chief minister would be sent to him for necessary action.

To encourage the party workers to work with more dedication, the chief minister said a special fund would set up for their welfare.

The chief minister said he would ensure that no party worker faced any problem.

The chief minister was told that a number of women workers had lost the elections and had not been accommodated subsequently. He was further informed that while ‘outsiders’ joining the ruling party were being accommodated, party’s senior workers were not been given any responsibility.

Mr Elahi reportedly assured that in future he would keep the point in mind.

He directed all wings to hold conventions under the chairmanship of the ministers. The chief minister himself would attend the conventions to see the strength of each wing.

Any wing which failed to do any activity for three months would be suspended, the chief minister said. The chief minister said he would present the Punjab government’s performance at the provincial working committee’s meeting scheduled for Sunday.

Some participants proposed action against the legislators issuing statements against the PML leadership. The chief minister reportedly directed them to ignore such people.