Maher doubts intentions of Sindh govt on LB polls

Karachi
Leader of the Opposition in Sindh Assembly Shaheryar Maher has said that the provincial government was least interested in holding local government elections as the LG department was “the main source of corruption for the Pakistan People’s Party government”.
Talking to The News on Sunday, he asserted that elections should be held after making electoral reforms.
The Pakistan Muslim League (Functional) MPA claimed the Sindh government wanted to form 1,200 union councils first and then hold elections to set up local governments.
He said local government elections were due since 2009, adding opposition has demanded several times of the government to hold local bodies’ elections but “all our requests have been turned to deaf ears.”
Maher accused the PPP MPAs and bureaucrats of minting money in the absence of local government elections.
He declared that empowerment of people at grassroots level has become a dream and masses have lost hope in this government.
Maher stressed that there is no legal hitch of any kind in holding local government elections and they can be held any time.
Replying to a question, the opposition leader said that he has moved a privileged motion over the Thar situation in the Sindh Assembly and regretted there was still no check on children death in the drought-hit area.
Similarly, when Muttahida Qaumi Movement MPA Mohammed Hussain was contacted by The News on the issue, he said his party was ready to contest LB elections even on short notice.
Sindh Assembly Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani reiterated that without holding a population census any kind of elections would be useless.