Daily Times

Sir: It is unfortunate that the PML-N government in Punjab decided to hold local government elections on a non-party basis after deferring the election on one pretext to the other until the Supreme Court had to intervene and order the provincial governments to do the needful. It seems like our present lot of politicians do not want to share power at the grass root level, though they never tire of preaching the virtue of democracy and empowering people.

The chief minister of Punjab has been running the largest province of the country with 62 percent population single-handedly with civil bureaucracy without giving ordinary people a chance to share power with the rulers. It seems our politicians consider themselves superior to all, having the right wisdom to become the real rulers. This is one major reason why democracy and a new political breed have not been able to rise in Pakistan. It is only by holding party-based elections that ideology-based politics and new political leadership could emerge. The majority of current politicians have no awareness about the problems faced by the ordinary people, reason being that they never started politics from the grass root level. It is because of this that instead of making laws to benefit society they are busy doing works of local body representatives: making roads, schools, health units, gas supply projects etc.

It is imperative to strengthen democracy at the local level with administrative power, whereas financial power should be established at the district and union councils to look after the civic and area development projects. Had there been a local government there the law and order situation would not have deteriorated to the extent that it has to date.

Without people’s participation, no country can make real progress. Currently, the PML-N is afraid of the PTI’s popularity in Punjab and to avoid an embarrassing defeat in the local bodies election is adopting the non-party basis polls. It is a known fact that the 1985 non-party elections of the national assembly did not only introduce horse trading in politics but rendered politicians conscienceless for changing their respective political parties in pursuit for power and money.

S T HUSSAIN

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