LAHORE Provincial governments are authorised to make changes in the local body system according to their requirements, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said during a meeting with Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif here.
'Under the Constitution it is a provincial subject and provinces are empowered to take decisions about its status,' Mr Gilani said.
Mr Sharif had called on Mr Gilani at the latter's residence in Lahore on Sunday. Mr Gilani also assured the chief minister that the centre would not 'interfere' in this matter.
The PPP had earlier asked the PML-N to appoint politicians as administrators, but the latter did not accept the proposal.
'It is an indication that President Asif Ali Zardari will approve changes in the local bodies system proposed by the PML-N in Punjab. It will also enable the PML-N to appoint bureaucrats as administrators in Punjab till local government elections are held under the new system,' a PPP leader told this reporter.
Mr Gilani and Mr Sharif also agreed to boost contacts between the two political parties to reduce the 'trust-deficit'.
Mr Gilani had earlier called Mian Nawaz Sharif who is in London and reportedly discussed the matter with him.
Mr Gilani assured the chief minister that the federal government would not help former president Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf in the Supreme Court.
Sources said that the meeting became necessary after PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif had expressed fears that the federal government might help Mr Musharraf to get out of a legal minefield.
'The PPP government will not ... provide any legal help to Mr Musharraf in the Supreme Court in the appointment of PCO judges proceedings,' a source quoted Mr Gilani as saying.
Other issues discussed in the meeting included cabinet expansion and loadshedding.
President Zardari recently called on Nawaz Sharif at Raiwind to remove misunderstandings.
Shahbaz Sharif is reported to have urged Mr Gilani to deal with the issue of power outages on a war footing because it was depriving people of their livelihood.
