Dr. Yasmin Raashid advisor to PTI Chairman said Shabaz Sharif during last seven years was running away from holding local bodies elections in the province. The Supreme Court forced him to hold local bodies election and now he is using cheap tactics after wining majority seats in first two phases to hold the power in his hands she added. The Punjab government is set to further amend the power less Punjab Local Government Act to increase the numbers of deputy mayors of Lahore metropolitan city and deputy chairmen of the district councils across the province she added. She said proposed changes in ordinance are against the basic principles and spirit of the democracy and reflects Sharif Brothers cheap mentality. By increasing the number of deputy mayors and deputy chairmen nothing would happen as these powerless so-called grassroots representatives would be just the puppets of Khadam I Alla she added. She said Sharif Brothers are actually civil dictators; whenever they come into power they want public representatives to serve them like kings. She termed this move of Punjab government undemocratic and an attempt to bulldoze the opposition parties councilors mandate at district level.
PTI Information Secretary Andleeb said what else could be expected from Sharif Brothers who never shy away from playing with the system for their own benefits and rant about democracy but in fact are afraid to transfer powers at grass root level. Punjab Local Government Act was already powerless and now Shabaz Sharif is further ready to bend the rules to keep iron fist hand on the local representatives she added. She said after many amendments in the local government act Shabaz Sharif has diluted decentralization by giving more powers to the provincial government rather the district governments. If this purposed amendment happens, the concept of devolution of powers would stand nowhere she added. She said even the Military dictator Pervaiz Musharraf gave district governments responsibilities in agriculture, health, education, community development, information technology, finance and planning, together with revenue which was previously held by the provinces, and the province became financially better due to transferred funds and local taxes. But Sharif Brothers who were natured by Military dictator have no courage to transfer the power at local level she added. She said she could understand the pain of Sharif Brothers to hoard power as earlier they insisted for non-party based polls, and now this non sense of change in LG Act to keep power with their own deputy mayors and deputy chairmen.