LAHORE, Aug 19: The provincial government amended on Monday the Punjab Local Government Ordinance 2001, barring the Nazimeen and Naib Nazimeen of districts, tehsils, towns and union councils from contesting any other political office.

The Punjab Local Government (seventh amendment) Ordinance 2002, however, allowed them to contest for any other political office after resigning from their current office.

The amendment, nevertheless, allows the members of district, tehsil, town and union councils to contest elections for any other political office without resigning from their membership. But they would not be allowed to hold more than one office at one time.

The amendment is in line with the previous government announcement to debar a person from holding dual membership of the elected institutions.

The Election Commission of Pakistan has also told provincial governors as well as federal and provincial ministers interested in contesting the forthcoming October polls to tender resignations before filing their nomination papers.

According to reports, federal ministers Shaukat Aziz, Zubeida Jalal and Abbas Sarfraz and Sindh governor Muhammadmian Soomro have so far submitted their resignations to the president in order to contest the polls.

Official sources claimed that no member of the Punjab cabinet has expressed intention to fight the next elections. The sources say Punjab Governor Khalid Maqbool, though wishes to stay in office even beyond October, has no intention to contest the polls.