ISLAMABAD: Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Chief Minister Pervaiz Khattak has mentioned that it will not be possible for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf to hold local body polls in the province this year.
He made these remarks after attending the party’s core committee meeting on Thursday in Islamabad. The recent wave of terror in K-P province forced the government to procrastinate local body elections, making it difficult for the party to quickly go ahead for lawmaking, the chief ministers said.
“It’s almost impossible to hold local body polls in 2013, we still have to do a lot work on it,” he told The Express Tribune, adding that polls will be held in February next year. We will discuss the proposed laws in a party meeting and then present it to the provincial cabinet next week for final deliberations, said the K-P chief minister.
“Back to back three terrorist attacks in Peshawar have created hurdles in our way to precede lawmaking process on local bodies’ government system.”
Core committee
While addressing the party’s core committee meeting, PTI Chairman Imran Khan linked stoppage of drone strikes with the possible successful outcome of dialogue with Tehreek-e-Taliban.
“Stopping drones is critical in extending any dialogue and peace process,” he said. Even, if a ceasefire is agreed by all parties, drone attacks will derail this process, he added.
PTI remains committed to dialogue and giving peace a chance, observed Imran during the meeting.
The core committee condemned the government’s anti-people economic policies comprising of unjustified price hikes which target the poor and middle classes. It also pointed out a free fall in value of rupee, of spiralling inflation along with unprecedented note printing — 800 billion in under 3 months.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 4th, 2013.
