‘Interim govt a big challenge’

LAHORE : Jamaat-e-Islami Secretary General Liaqat Baloch said the formation of the interim government before general elections was a big challenge for the prime minister, leader of the opposition and chief ministers of the provinces.

Addressing a worker conventions on Saturday, he said if the government failed to take timely decisions, the elections would be controlled by some other quarters which might have serious consequences for the future of democracy.

He said under the constitution, it was the responsibility of the government and institutions concerned to hold general elections within sixty days of the completion of the term of government. He said there was no provision for delaying elections or any judicial interference in this respect and any martial law or any other supra-constitutional step could plunge the country into an unending crisis. Liaqat Baloch said at present, local governments were ineffective and powerless while the federal and provincial governments tried to control the assembly members through development funds. That is why the members of assemblies are least interested in legislation and solution to the people’s problems, he said and expressed deep concern over the increasing incidents of terrorism in the country and said that the US and India were trying to destabilize the region.

He said the situation demanded that the national leadership and the state institutions stood united on national priorities.