LAHORE- Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Secretary General Latif Khosa has said it is the constitutional responsibility of the Punjab government to hold local bodies’ elections as also emphasised by the Punjab leader of the opposition.
“Article 140(A) of the Constitution makes it obligatory to hold local bodies’ elections,” Khosa said in a statement on Thursday. He pointed out that the KPK government was contemplating to hold local bodies’ elections in the province for which they had allocated funds in the budget.
“But no such funds have been allocated in the Punjab budget which explicitly unfolds their mala fide intention regarding holding of the local bodies’ elections in the province of Punjab,” he remarked. 
He expressed his apprehension that the new Punjab government would delay the elections on one pretext or another like it did during the last tenure.
Latif said that Punjab chief minister was responsible for depriving the people at village, town, tehsil and district levels of the development which was their right. The chief minister instead spent funds on flawed schemes like sasti roti, yellow cabs, laptops, Ashiana Housing Scheme, metro bus, Danish schools etc.
He said the auditor general had pointed out that the funds allocated for the local bodies to the tune of Rs 350 billion could not be reconciled because they were spent on other ostentatious projects and money so spent was devoid of valid charge.
Mr Khosa said the people were also denied the valuable experience and training at the local levels which they would have got through the functioning of the local institutions devoted to provide health, education and counselling services. Such training is absolutely important to groom the leadership for the provincial and later for the national level, he observed.
He said Punjab chief minister would repeat the previous practice because he was known for implementing his own flawed priorities at the expense of legitimate and legal priorities of the rural population. “He is known for assuming all powers to himself, at odd with the spirit of democracy which thrives on collective wisdom and empowerment of the people at all levels,” he concluded.