The PML-Q has rejected the appointment of administrators in place of elected nazims, demanding the Punjab government hold local government polls within three months.

Flanked by a large number of MPAs, the PML-Q Punjab general secretary and opposition leader, Chaudhry Zaheer ud Din Khan, said the administrators appointed by the Punjab government could not perform impartially.

Khanewal district nazim Ahmed Yar Hiraj, PML-Q legislators in the Punjab, including Mohsin Leghari, Chaudhry Sher Ali, Col (r) Abbas, Iqbal Langrial, Dr Samia Amjad, Samina Khawar Hayat, Khadija Umer Farooqi, Dr Faiza Asgher and Seemal Kamran were also present. Chaudhry Zaheer said, under Article 159 of the Local Government Ordinance 2001, the serving nazims and naib nazims could not be replaced by any one until new nazims, naib nazims were elected in the fresh elections.

He said the plea taken by the Punjab government that the tenure of all the nazims had completed was not justified and the appointment of administrators merely meant to ‘hijack’ the LG institutions.

He said the administrators appointed by the Punjab government would only serve their bosses and do as per the instructions given to them by the rulers. The claims of ‘impartiality’ were merely a gimmick, he added. He said the appointment of administrators would end the system of check and balance as they would be solely enjoy the powers of nazims, naib nazims and councilors. On the other hand, he said, an elected nazim was answerable to elected members including naib nazims and the entire house.

Chaudhry Zaheer said the democratic governments were supposed to do legislation to empower public but N-league government was snatching these powers from people and transferring it to bureaucracy.

The PML-Q leader also alleged that the Punjab government wanted to delay the polls while appointing administrators, expressing doubt that the LG would be held even after six months. He said the PML-N was running away from the LG polls just like the party leader was escaping the by-polls. He said the PML-N would also try to delay the LG polls, just like the by-elections on the seats of MNAs and MPAs were postponed.

However, he asserted that the PML-Q would not let Punjab become a PML-N-led local body state, calling for holding the Local Government polls in 90 days. To a question, he said the main reason behind the frustration of the PML-N government was its miserable performance during the past two years. He said, under the law, the power belongs to the elected representatives and, even in the Charter of Democracy, it has been mentioned that the LG polls would be held in a period of three months.