LAHORE: The opposition in Punjab Assembly has announced protest in the House on the provincial government’s letter to the Election Commission of Pakistan seeking postponement of the local body polls in the wake of floods.

“We’ll strongly protest in the House as depriving the people of their right to franchise and delaying devolution of powers is unacceptable,” opposition leader Mian Mahmoodur Rashid said while submitting an adjournment motion with the assembly secretariat on alleged failure of the government in controlling devastation of flood in Punjab here on Tuesday.

He said the government manifested its dictatorial behaviour by writing to the ECP to re-adjust the local body elections schedule in the wake of the engagement of the Punjab administration in flood rescue and relief activities.

He claimed that the PML-N was afraid of its defeat in the local elections so it had been delaying the polls on one pretext or the other for the last many years and pledged to resist the move at all forums.

Through the adjournment motion, the opposition leader alleged that the government took no precautionary measures despite repeated warnings by the Met office regarding floods because of heavy rains this year.

The inaction, he said, was resulting in casualties and heavy financial losses to the flood victims.

Meanwhile, Tehreek-i-Insaf Punjab Organiser Chaudhary Mohammad Sarwar has said that “real democracy” cannotbe established without free, fair and transparent elections and has called for introduction of biometric system in the next general elections.

He claimed that the PML-N would also vanish like the PPP in the next general elections.

He alleged the PML-N had started pre-poll rigging by distributing millions of rupees of development funds among its party members who were defeated in the general elections.

Chaudhary Sarwar was speaking to a delegation led by PML-Q provincial assembly ticket-holder Rana Waheed, who announced his joining PTI along with his workers and supporters here on Tuesday.

Published in Dawn, July 29th, 2015

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