LGs disbanded to punish Punjab for voting for PML-N: Ahsan

LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-N Secretary General Ahsan Iqbal has alleged that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government made Punjab’s local governments (LGs) dysfunctional only to punish the largest province for voting for the PML-N in the last elections.

Depriving 52 per cent population of the country of their elected representatives was a manifestation of enmity towards Punjab and Pakistan by the PTI, he said while addressing a press conference at party secretariat on Saturday along with the elected representatives.

He lamented that the PTI government threw away the mandate of elected LGs, though they were elected for five years on the orders of Supreme Court.

Terming the action a violation of Article 140 of the Constitution, he appealed to the Supreme Court and high court for restoring the local governments after vacation.

Ahsan Iqbal said judge Arshad Malik was removed on charges of misconduct and prejudice, but his judgment against Nawaz Sharif was still valid. Similarly, all provincial governments were re-elected in recent elections, except for the Punjab, though it had showed better performance than others. He said the PML-N was chalking out a unanimous strategy for public agitation in consultation with the opposition parties, adding that all parties would march towards Islamabad, but the time was yet to be decided.

He alleged that election of chairman Senate was done through horse trading, adding that all standing committees were bulldozed to crush the opposition demands. To a question, he claimed that the PTI government had agreed with US President Trump to accept Indian decision on Kashmir, adding that the ruling party was culprit of selling off Kashmir.

He said the PTI used to accuse the PML-N of being Modi’s friend, but Modi never dared to take unilateral step during the PML-N tenure. He said none of the Indian governments dared override Islamabad on Kashmir, except for the period when a weak government of the PTI was in power.