HARIPUR, Aug 7: The local government candidates at a workshop agreed on the point that without maximizing voters turnout and making them realize the importance of vote, the status quo would continue and the problems at grass-root level would remain unresolved.

Village Friends Organization (VFO) Islamabad and Women Voice Haripur jointly arranged the workshop at a local hotel here on Sunday.

The workshop was the part of Swiss Agency for Development Assistance and Cooperation (SDC) funded by Grassroots Democracy Support Programme (GDSP), recently launched for the three union councils of Sikandarpur, Ali Khan and Haripur North.

Participants of the workshop were of the view that unless the voters, particularly women, were mobilized for ensuring maximum voters turnout the objective of real change at the grass-root level would remain elusive and the people who have made it to the councils for securing their own benefits previously, would again return successful.

They said that people must realize the sanctity and importance of their votes and be motivated not to use their votes out of personal likes and dislikes, fear or on ethnic grounds.

The voters have a golden opportunity to bring about change in accordance to their wishes and elect only those candidates who were really sincere to the cause of serving their constituents rather than their own purposes.

The voters should be honestly informed about the limitations of candidates and are not convinced in a way that they pinned expectations beyond their powers, they said adding that the practice of alluring voters on hollow promises had remained in the vogue in near past.

Candidates for nazims slot, councillors and lady councillors from UC Ali Khan, Haripur North Sikandarpur attended the workshop while Mubashir Nabi from Dihat Dost Tanzeem and Gul Ambrin Minhas of Women Voice facilitated the sessions.