LAHORE, Aug 17: The ruling PML has started preparations for local elections and nazims and deputy nazims who gave a better performance during their current term will be given another chance to contest, a provincial office-bearer of the party said on Tuesday.

Chaudhry Zaheer uddin, the secretary-general, said while talking to Dawn that performance of the local government representatives was being evaluated and most of them had worked satisfactorily.

Their planning capability, administrative control, funds utilization and the benefits of their projects to the common man would be kept in mind while awarding them tickets for another term, said Mr Zaheeruddin, who is also minister for communications and works.

He said integrity of the present functionaries or the new candidates would also be a major consideration. He said since the existing lot was about to complete their first term under the new system of district governments, the ruling party was now in a better position to decide who should or shouldn't be given another chance. This was not the case three years when the party was new as also the system, he said.

The party, the PML leader said, already had organizational structure down to the level of union councils because of which, compared to its rivals, it would be in a better position to take part in the upcoming elections. He held out an assurance that the party would give the nation a clean and honest leadership through the local elections.

These elections are due to be held next year. In response to a question, he said political governments should hold the local elections on a party basis. He said he hoped that the present government would hold the elections on a party basis, though a final decision on the subject was yet to be taken.

He said his party could claim credit for holding the elections on time, although the PPP never dared go for such an exercise despite the fact that it got three chances to rule the country.

Answering a question about the party's provincial elections, Chaudhry Zaheeruddin said they would be held in about a month's time. He said Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi and himself, though president and secretary-general of the provincial organization, would also offer themselves as candidates.

Leaders from other factions of the PML, who merged themselves with the ruling party, would also be given positions in the provincial structure, he said. Asked how would it be possible for the party to give guidelines to the government when the party and government offices were held by the same person, he said the party would take all decisions in consultation with its leaders.

Whatever the majority decision it would be implemented without reservations, the secretary-general said, adding that neither the chief minister nor anybody else would impose his decisions on the party.

Already, he said, the chief minister was following the same course. In cabinet meetings he invited suggestions from all colleagues, evaluated them and then took a decision, upholding the majority's view. Never ever had the chief minister imposed his personal view on the party or the cabinet, he emphasized.

"Political parties can't close their doors on others", argued Mr Zaheeruddin when asked about the justification for his party to accept 'turncoats' when it had a comfortable majority in the Punjab Assembly.

The ruling party enjoys the support of about 244 MPAs in a house of 372. "We use neither carrot nor stick (to make legislators from other parties to change loyalties). In fact, the friendly attitude of Chaudhry Shujaat Husain and Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi is the real attraction".

The PML secretary-general said unlike the previous governments, his party had not victimized anyone. Instead, it had tried to win hearts and minds of people through better performance.

He said it was for this reason that many opposition legislators were not feeling comfortable in their parties and they were planning to join hands with the ruling party. "Discouraging such people will be a negative political attitude", Chaudhry Zaheeruddin said.

He said the PML was determined to win support of the people through performance. Referring to the opposition MPAs, who resigned from the PPP, to join hands with the ruling party, he said it was their own decision which they had taken independently. He said nobody should forget that such people could have lost to their rivals in the subsequent by-elections they contested on the ruling party tickets.

Chaudhry Zaheeruddin said that the fruits of the new year's budget plus the performance of the government would soften even the hardest hearts in opposition ranks and they would like to cross over to the ruling party during the next few months.

About the law and order situation in the province, he said considerable improvement would be seen over the next one year. He pointed out that in the new year's budget the government had trebled allocation for law and order from Rs6 billion to 18 as a result of which the police force would be able to equip itself better to deal with crime.

Coordination among the law enforcement agencies was also being improved which would yield positive results. Chaudhry Zaheeruddin said now that the government had tried its best to meet all the requirements of the law enforcers, their system of accountability would also be stiffened. Anybody failing in his duties would have to be answerable, he said. "We'll restore the honour of the much honoured nation", he said.