President Asif Ali Zardari on Saturday tasked PPP lawmakers and members with commencing preparations for the local body polls in Punjab.

The local body polls are likely to be held in Punjab next year after some amendments to the local government law. Under Article 140-A of the Constitution and Section 219(4) of the Elections Act, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is bound to hold elections within 120 days of the expiry of the term of the local government institutions.

In April 2019, the then PTI-led Punjab government dissolved the local government institutions, which were later restored by the Supreme Court and subsequently completed their term on December 31, 2021. The elections were supposed to be held by the end of April 2022, but this was not possible because the provincial government kept amending the local government law repeatedly.

President Zardari arrived in Lahore on Friday evening and met party leaders today at Bilawal House, directing them to enhance their public interaction.

Punjab Governor Sardar Saleem Haider, MNA Makhdoom Murtaza Mahmood, PPP Lahore leader Faisal Mir, PPP South Punjab Coordinator Abdul Qadir Shaheen, MPA Alamdar Qureshi, Malik Muzaffar, Zaki Chaudhry and Ali Zaki were among those present in the meeting.

“President Zardari asked the party to start preparation for local body polls in Punjab,” Shaheen told Dawn after the meeting.

He said the president tasked all lawmakers, ticket holders and party office bearers to enhance their public outreach so the party’s narrative of “serving the people” could be effectively disseminated.

Shaheen added that the president also appreciated the party’s performance in the south Punjab and said he would visit the region next month.

“There is a need to strengthen PPP in Punjab,” Zardari was quoted by him as saying.

Governor Haider also briefed the president on the political situation in the province. He and other leaders apprised the party co-chairman of the challenges being faced by the PPP in Punjab.

Shaheen said the president was also informed that PPP candidate Dost Muhammad Khosa for the National Assembly by-poll in DG Khan had won, but was declared the losing candidate through “massive rigging”.

In the by-election for NA-185 (Dera Ghazi Khan-2), Khosa secured 49,262 votes, while his PML-N rival Mahmood Qadir Khan won the seat with 82,413 votes.

“The party will challenge the victory of the PML-N candidate in the election tribunal on Monday,” Shaheen said.