Pakistan Muslim League President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain has decided to take disciplinary action against party members making attempts to delay local bodies' elections. The ruling parliamentarians including several federal ministers had recently written to both President General Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz for postponement of the local bodies' elections.
Sources informed Business Recorder that Shujaat Hussain was very perturbed over the recent statements of his party members in this connection.
It was learnt that Chairman National Reconstruction Bureau (NRB), Daniyal Aziz has also met Chaudhry Shujaat and requested him to take stern action against members who are lobbying for postponement of LB polls.
Daniyal has conveyed his message to the PML chief that polls could be delayed if party members did not mend their behaviour, the sources added.
"Taking stock of the situation, former Prime Minister Shujaat Hussain has made up his mind to take guilty members to task," sources further said.
It was informed that Secretary General of PML, Mushahid Hussain has been given the task to monitor the ruling parliamentarians.
Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has already declared that the local bodies' elections would be held as planned, and the schedule for elections would be announced soon by the Election Commission.
There are simmering differences among the crisis-stricken PML, mostly about demands of various leaders for share of key offices, such as district nazims for their close associates or relatives, particularly in Punjab.
Besides the internal rift, the ruling party has differences with its allies on the local government polls that could ultimately lead to their postponement.
The ministers and MNAs from southern Punjab are also exerting pressure that they should not be overlooked and given due share in the local bodies' polls.
"Shujaat Hussain is preparing a list of all such members in consultation with Mushahid Hussain and it would soon be submitted to President Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz," the PML sources added.
On the other hand, major political parties of the country have demanded dissolution of local bodies and a comprehensive audit of four-year tenure before holding next elections so that corrupt office-holders could be taken to task.
They are of the belief that majority of the district, tehsil and town Nazims are involved in large-scale corruption, abuse of power and misuse of funds and they are being patronised again by the Punjab government.
Moreover, Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians has thrown a challenge to President General Pervez Musharraf to hold fresh general elections in 2005. But the President has said categorically that general elections would be held in 2007.
It was reliably learnt that treasury parliamentarians demanding postponing of the local bodies elections are expected to meet President Musharraf on his return from Saudi Arabia to win over his support in their favour.
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