LAHORE, Dec 28: Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi said on Thursday that the PPP was against the local government system and its demand to dissolve the councils before the next general elections reflected its negative approach towards the system.

Talking to union council nazims, naib nazims and councillors from Faisalabad at his secretariat here, he said the PPP had never conducted local government elections during its governments. Its leadership was damaging the development process of the country by adopting dual policies on important national affairs.

On the contrary, he said, the present government believed in the local government system because this helped understand people’s problems and their resolution at local level.

The chief minister said power had been transferred to the lowest level under the system, which was the best source of serving the people. Funds over and above annual budgets had been given to district governments for accelerating the pace of development in the province and to complete a maximum number of public welfare schemes.

He said like in the first instance the local councils would complete their tenure of four years. “I had started my political career by becoming a councillor in 1983 and that is why I have great attachment with the system,” he said.

He said the development budget of the province was only Rs10 billion when the present government had taken over. The budget had now enhanced to Rs100 billion. Merit was the rule of thumb in all sectors and the government was sincerely pursuing its mission of serving the people.

The chief minister said foreign investors were preferring to invest in the country because of the government’s excellent economic policies.