DERA GHAZI KHAN, April 20: President Gen Pervez Musharraf on Saturday said that the local government is a genuine system, which enables the people to strive for rapid socioeconomic uplift, as local problems are solved locally and the masses have a sense of participation in running their affairs.

Speaking at a gathering of Nazims, Naib Nazims and councillors of Layyah, Rajanpur, Muzaffargarh and D.G. Khan, the president said full administrative and financial powers had been extended to the Nazims and Naib Nazims.

He said the government had devised short-term and long-term development plans, the implementation of which would result in poverty alleviation, more jobs, development and prosperity.

Talking to a delegation of women representatives, the president said his government wanted to ensure all rights to women and asked them to play their role in steering the country away from the political environment based on personal agenda and permeated with rampant corruption.

“It is our earnest desire that women should have all their due rights,” he said. But, he said, the government could only facilitate them and it was for them to come forward and secure and strengthen their rights.

He said women had been given 33 per cent representation in the local government system and the government wanted to increase it to 50 per cent. He said women’s seats in the parliament had been increased to 60, while they could contest on open seats.

The president said the referendum was aimed to start an era of genuine democracy and its opponents were spending millions of rupees to destabilize the country.

He said he was advised by the people to restore the 8th amendment and sack those indulging in malpractice but “such a system will not work, we want to strengthen the democracy on genuine basis to bring unity and political harmony.”

The president told a delegation of political leaders, notables and traders that his decision to limit public rallies was taken to save the people from the inconvenience such as traffic jams, difficulties caused to the travellers and hindrance in economic activity.

He said the holding of referendum was in accordance with Article 48 of the Constitution.

Of those opposing the referendum, he said, some were doing it to create confusion while others were disputing it out of shortsightedness as they were linking it with the October elections.

He said the country would return to the corrupt system if the referendum was not held.

A success in April 30 referendum, he said, would mean a verdict in favour of continuity of reforms and harmonious relationship between the future prime minister, president, cabinet and parliament.

He expressed his confidence that overwhelming majority of the people would take part in the referendum.—APP