LAHORE: The Punjab government says it is not going to appeal against the Lahore High Court verdict annulling delimitations for local elections scheduled to be held on Jan 30, lending credence to cynicism of people like Tehrik-i-Istiqlal President Rehmat Khan Wardag that provincial governments are deliberately avoiding the electoral exercise.

Mr Wardag told the media on Wednesday that provincial governments wanted to execute development works through MPs thus delaying the resurrection of local bodies -- the real platform for carrying out development projects dormant since completion of their previous term in 2009.

He alleged that the MPs and state functionaries were conniving with each other in delaying the polls as they didn’t wish to give up the 50 per cent share in commission in the development projects.

But Punjab Law and Local Body Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan insists that the government had done the delimitations under a previous court order when the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) declined to take up the job for want of staff.

He says as the new LHC verdict has directed the ECP to hold the delimitations afresh, the latter should go for the appeal if it deems it appropriate. The government has no objection whether the polls are held under the current or new delimitations, he says while denying the impression that Punjab is seeking inordinate delay in the polls.

“It’s a fact that a new law is needed to empower the ECP to do delimitations. And framing of the law, of course, requires time – not weeks but months.” The law-making process, he stresses, will take about six months.

PTI: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf has demanded that the Punjab government hold local elections on the scheduled date because candidates have already spent millions of rupees and precious time on their campaigns.

Speaking at a news conference here, PTI Punjab President Ejaz Chaudhry and General Secretary Dr Yasmin Rashid alleged that the Punjab government was using delaying tactics to avoid local elections. They said the PTI would not accept polls under the supervision of the DCOs.

Mr Chaudhry said the Lahore High Court’s decisions against the Punjab government with regard to non-party elections and delimitation of LG constituencies had closed the backdoors for the PML-N government.

Stating that the Punjab government had twice violated the Constitution, he asked the rulers to take action against the government as was the case with retired Gen Pervez Musharraf.

Mr Chaudhry said law minister Rana Sanaullah was taking uncalled for decisions and causing embarrassment to his government. The PTI, he said, would frustrate all rigging plans of the PML-N government by taking to the street.

He demanded that the federal government, Parliament and standing committees should legislate in the light of Constitution and the high court decisions. Only the Election Commission of Pakistan had the powers of local constituencies’ delimitation, he added.

He demanded elections in Punjab through biometric system as was the case in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.Alleging that the Punjab government was victimising PTI’s candidates and workers, Dr Yasmin Rashid said a party worker, Maqbool Hussain, was shot dead and two others were injured.

She said the PTI had got registered a case against PML-N’s Naveed Aslam Kharal, Rai Shakeel, Rai Akhtar and others.

PPP: The Pakistan People’s Party refused to accept “inordinate delay” in the local elections.

PPP Punjab Vice-President Haider Zaman Qureshi told Dawn that the Election Commission of Pakistan might take some time for delimitation of union councils but the PPP would not accept the delay (in holding the elections) beyond March.

“There are reports that the PML-N does not want local elections and is buying time to eventually find an excuse to run away from the process,” Mr Qureshi said.