PTI, PML-Q agree over new local bodies setup in Punjab: sources

LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) have reached an agreement over new local bodies setup in the province with two of them agreeing to 11 metropolitan corporations, ARY NEWS reported.

According to sources privy to discussions between the two sides, a metropolitan corporation will comprise of nine divisional headquarters.

“Gujrat and Sialkot have been added as the new metropolitan corporations after the talks,” they said adding that the other 25 districts of the province will have district councils.

The metropolitan corporation will be led by the lord mayor while district councils will be headed by the district mayor.

“There will be neighbourhood and village councils at the lowest tier of the local bodies system,” they said the lowest tier would not have tehsil councils, municipal councils, municipal committees and town committees.

Earlier in the day, it was reported that a deadlock has emerged between the Punjab government led by Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and its coalition partner in the province, Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) over use of electronic voting machines (EVM) during the local bodies elections.

The reports of the disagreements have been confirmed to ARY NEWS by PML-Q’s Tariq Bashir Cheema, who is also a federal minister, and SACM on Information Hasaan Khawar.

“We are not ready to accept a local bodies system planned by the Punjab government and Prime Minister Imran Khan should intervene to get the matter sorted out,” he said while rejecting that EVM could be used for holding local bodies polls in the province.

He went a step ahead and said that it was an attempt to delay the local bodies elections in the province.

Responding to him, the Punjab government’s spokesman Hasaan Khawar said that PML-Q was their coalition partner and their suggestions are being considered. “There is a need for debate on PML-Q’s suggestions and the process is currently underway,” he said.