Local government elections

PESHAWAR: Dispelling the impression about differences over seat adjustments in the districts, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) vice chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi Thursday said that they would contest the forthcoming local government elections along with the coalition partners in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
After holding a meeting with PTI’s regional heads and district presidents at the Chief Minister’s Secretariat here, Shah Mahmood Qureshi told reporters that they wanted to contest the local government elections in KP with their coalition partners, Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) and Awami Jamhoori Ittehad Pakistan (AJIP).
Other PTI sources, however, told The News that decision on contesting the elections with JI and AJIP had not been made yet. Pleading anonymity, a PTI leader said that despite repeated offer by the PTI leadership of contesting the election together, JI has not yet responded positively.
Also, he said JI during informal meetings had expressed a wish to get seats for half of the Peshawar district, which he said would be difficult for the PTI leadership to agree with.However, Shah Mahmood Qureshi denied differences within coalition partners over seat adjustment. He seemed quite optimistic about contesting the polls together.
He said they would give 30 per cent development funds to the people’s representatives elected through the LG elections to solve basic problems of the people at their doorsteps. During his meeting with PTI office-bearers, Mahmood Qureshi urged the party activist to shun internal differences and unite for taking part in the elections scheduled on May 30.
He advised them to nominate honest, committed and reputable people for contesting the elections.He praised the PTI workers for their commitment with the party and the struggle they had made during harsh days.
He also said that the party activists should support candidates who have credibility and can win the elections.Later, he held a meeting with the trader community and listened to their complaints. He said he would personally take up some of the problems related to the federal government.