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Saturday, September 15, 2012

Talks on with PML-N over new provinces: Zardari

PPP will form next govt in Punjab

* President announces launch of election campaign in Punjab with first public meeting in Mandi Bahauddin soon

* Says his party will hold free, fair elections as scheduled

* New provinces to be created before elections; govt has two-thirds majority to do so

By Kashif Hussain

LAHORE: President Asif Zardari on Friday hoped that the Pakistan People’s Party would win next general elections in Punjab.
During separate meetings with the PPP leadership at the Governor’s House, the president also discussed a plan to address public meetings across Punjab. Zardari would address the first public meeting in Mandi Bahauddin.
Punjab Governor Sardar Latif Khosa, opposition leader in the Punjab Assembly Raja Riaz, PPP parliamentary leader in the Punjab Assembly Major (r) Zulfiqar Gondal, deputy parliamentary leader Shaukat Basra, Punjab PPP President Imtiaz Safdar Warraich, Punjab PPP Secretary Azizur Rehman Chan were also present.
Matters regarding reorganisation of the party, preparations for the upcoming general elections and development issues in their respective areas were discussed.
The president was confident that his party would win next general elections in Punjab as well as in the Centre with the cooperation of its allied parties. President Zardari told the party leaders that he would hold public meetings across the province and first such meeting would be held in Mandi Bahauddin as it was a PPP stronghold.
The meeting participants said that the PPP’s strategy to win next general elections and distribution of party tickets also came under discussion. They said that the president had assured the party leaders that a special parliamentary board, under the supervision of Faryal Talpur, would be formed to decide the final candidates.
Sources said that separate parliamentary boards would be formed to finalise a final list of candidates from all provinces. They also said that the president had also assured the party members that the government would hold free and fair elections, adding that new provinces would also be created before next general elections.
President Zardari also informed the meeting that the government wanted to take the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) into confidence about new provinces and back-door channels were still working on it. He confirmed that the government would easily create new provinces as it had a two-thirds majority in parliament.
Earlier, the PPP co-chairman told reporters the government would complete its tenure and general elections would be held on time. He said that the government stood by the people and would not leave them in their hour of need. He declared the recent fire incidents in factories as a tragic phenomenon.
Later, Deputy Prime Minister Pervaiz Elahi called on President Zardari at the Governor’s House. In the meeting, the president said that in accordance with the vision of slain PPP chairwoman Benazir Bhutto, the politics of reconciliation was being pursued to strengthen democratic system in the country.
The PPP and its allied parties in the government were playing their active role for the well-being and prosperity of the people, he added.
Both the leaders also discussed the matters pertaining to coalition of the two parties and the next general elections.
On this occasion, Deputy Prime Minister Chaudhry Pervez Elahi, who is also a central leader of the PML-Q, said both parties would form an alliance for the general elections.

Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk

 

 

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