LAHORE, March 25: Makhdoom Syed Ahmad Mahmood, who was elected the Punjab PML (Functional) president at a party’s council meeting on Sunday, said he would make the party a formidable political force in the country’s biggest province.

At a news conference after his election, he said the good governance was the real problem of the country and unemployment, price-hike and injustice would not be there if the rulers set the system right.

Sense of deprivation in southern Punjab was because of the lack of governance, Makhdoom said. He said Rs100 billion development funds of the current fiscal, if spent honestly, could change the face of the entire country, leave alone the backward areas.

Provinces, he said, should be divided into ‘governing units’ to enable the people to have their problems solved in their own areas.

The PML-F leader said his party would contest the next elections against the PPP.

He claimed the situation in Rahim Yar Khan district had changed after the 2002 elections and now the ruling party was not in a position to get its candidate elected from any seat there.

Imran Ishtiaqur Rehman has been appointed chief organizer of the provincial organization. Rao Zulfikar Ali, Khaliq Dad, Ashraf Qureshi are vice-presidents, while Bilal Ahmed and Omer Amin Bhatty will be the additional secretary.

Acting president Sultan Mahmood Khan, central chief organizer Kunwar Qutbuddin, Sheikh Anwar Saeed and many other leaders were also present at the meeting.