Pakistan People’s Party has reservations about LB polls: Sherpao
Pakistan Times Staff Report

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan People’s Party on Tuesday expressed its reservations about the forthcoming local bodies elections and vowed to take it up with the prime minister.

"We had reservation on many issues regarding local bodies elections and wanted that the government should take all the allied parties into confidence," said PPP President and Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao while addressing a news conference here after the maiden meeting of PPP central executive committee.

The meeting was held here with the chair of Party Chairman and Defence Minister Rao Sikandar Iqbal.

When asked about the nature of the reservations on the local bodies polls, he avoided the question and said: "We will take up our reservations with the prime minister."

The Plea

He said the government should take all the allied parties into confidence on the issue and also take suggestions for the local bodies elections. "We want the government should devise joint strategy with the allied parties for contesting the elections," he added.

Sherpao said that the local bodies elections should be held on non-party basis. On the question of PPP Parliamentarians and government contacts, he said the government has taken us into confidence about ongoing dialogue and we have no objection to it.

He spurned the assertion of merger of his party with the PPP Parliamentarians of Benazir Bhutto in the light of any deal with President Musharraf saying that there is no possibility of having merger with the PPPP.

On Balochistan issue, he said the PPP fully backed the government stance and supported the parliamentary committee on Balochistan for resolution of the issue.●