Local Governments are nurseries of future leadership: Moonis Elahi

Government’s un-constitutional steps have put the people and the system in disarray.

Delay in Local Governments elections will result in increased poverty and extremism.
The Prime Minister’s role is not to point out problems but to implement solutions.

Moonis Elahi, senior leader of Pakistan Muslim League has said that since February 08, various un-constitutional decisions of the Federal and Punjab governments have put the people and the system in a constant state of disarray and confusion. Local governments are the bedrock of a democratic system and the recent un-constitutional decision of an indefinite postponement of local governments elections amounts to depriving people of their fundamental democratic rights. Denying people the right to choose their local governments was a despotic move which would have highly adverse effects on the future of democracy in Pakistan. The government should withdraw this undemocratic decision in the best interest of democracy.

Moonis Elahi, said this while talking to a delegation of Muslim League leaders and workers in Lahore yesterday. He said that the Prime Minister by recently dubbing the present state of affairs in the country as a hodgepodge cannot condone himself from his basic responsibility of finding solutions to the problems.

Moonis Elahi further said that Shahbaz government was afraid to hold local governments elections in the province on account of its failure in fulfilling the promises made to the people of the province at election time. He was of the view that Shahbaz government in order to save its own skin and to avoid public embarrassment was putting the entire democratic system at stake. He pointed out at the expensive media campaign of Shahbaz government against Pakistan Muslim League Nazims and the subsequent failure of Shahbaz and his men from proving even one Nazim guilty of the so called irregularities. He said that after its unsuccessful character assassination attempts against the Nazims now the Shahbaz government in cohorts with its coalition partner in the centre had un- constitutionally decided to impose government administrators as replacements of elected Nazims. He expressed his grave concern on the constant violations by both PPP and “N” league of the country’s constitution, the charter of democracy and the promises made by Mohtarama Benazir Bhutto with the people of Pakistan.

He warned the government that the undemocratic and illegal decision of postponement of local governments elections would further intensify feelings of deprivation in the masses and encourage extremist tendencies. He said that the beauty of the local governments system was in its direct contact of Nazims and councilors with the people for resolution of their basic problems. He strongly criticized Shahbaz government’s decision of relying on unelected cronies and incompetent government servants instead of popularly elected Nazims and councilors who enjoyed the trust and confidence of the people.

He declared that Pakistan Muslim League will challenge this un-constitutional decision and demanded that the government instead of shirking its responsibility should immediately announce the election schedule for local governments as per the constitution and the demand of the people.