Governor rules out mid-term polls

LAHORE: Punjab Governor Ch Muhammad Sarwar has rejected any chances of midterm elections and stated Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government will complete its five-year constitutional term.

According to a handout issued here on Wednesday, the governor said this in an interview with a private TV channel. He said detractors of the PTI government lived in a fool's paradise and resorted to daydreaming regarding midterm elections. To a question, the Punjab governor said the government pursued zero tolerance policy on corruption adding that all are equal in the eye of law while the government would not resort to political victimisation against any opponent. Ch Sarwar while responding to another questions said PTI Chairman Imran Khan supported the idea of indiscriminate accountability for the last 20 years, adding looted money would be brought back to the country from the foreign banks. He said the government had formed a taskforce to retrieve looted money which was deposited in the foreign lands, adding the government had also signed protocols with countries like Great Britain and others in this regard. He said the government was committed to bringing all those to book who had looted precious resources of the country.

On economy, he said the government was designing a comprehensive policy for the restoration of economy and would adopt tangible measures to put it on stronger lines, adding that the government would overcome financial challenges shortly. However, he said it was not possible to grapple with the problems created during the past 70 years by different political regimes. Ch Sarwar said the government was preparing business friendly policies for indigenous and foreign investors.

To another query, he said the government was all set to introduce One Windows Operations (OWO) system for the foreign investors, adding that the PTI government was committed to ending red tape in the country. He said the business friendly policies of the government had lured foreign investors to the country, claiming the government had introduced various business friendly initiatives in the power sector which would enhance exports besides providing jobs to the unemployed.

Responding to a question, he said centralization of powers was a death knell to economic activity in any society, adding that PTI government believed in transfer of power to the grassroots level.

The Punjab governor said that the government was making amendments in the local government laws, adding that the amended local government law would soon be introduced which would provide powers to the local government representatives.

To a question, he said that the government has involved NGOs in the process of provision of clean drinking water to the citizens, adding that water filtration plants were being installed in jails and police lines across the country.