Prime Minister Imran Khan, keeping aside all the negativity regarding PTI’s defeat in the first phase of the 2021 local government elections in Khyber Pakhtunkha, said that the KP LG polls are the beginning of a “modern and developed LG system” which is a trait of successful democracies.
In an apparent reference to the comments being made about PTI losing the limelight in the KP polls, PM Imran Khan wrote on Twitter that amidst the “noise” over the results of the KP LG polls, “no one realises” that these polls are the start of a modern and devolved local government system.
PM Imran Khan said that it is the first time in Pakistan’s history that the country has an “empowered LG system”.
He went on to say that the direct election of tehsil level nazims will improve governance and make future leaders
“Amidst the noise over KP LG elec, no one realises these elections are start of modern, devolved LG system as exists in successful democracies,” the premier wrote
Pakistani politicians have been having a field day since the ruling party’s defeat was made obvious in the first phase of LG polls in KP, with Opposition party JUI-F emerging victorious and PTI failing to bag a single mayor seat out of the four.
On Tuesday, PM Imran Khan had conceded defeat, admitting that wrong candidate selection was a major cause for the PTI’s shock defeat in the recent polls.
‘Tabdeeli ja rahi hai’
Earlier, on Monday, PML-N Vice-President Maryam Nawaz took a jibe at the PTI for its losses and said that the change that the party had promised is approaching its end, that too in a humiliating fashion.
“Change is not coming — it is going,” she wrote on Twitter, referring to PTI’s famous slogan “tabdeeli aa nahi rahi, tabdeeli aa gai hay” (change is not coming, it has already arrived).
She further said that the promised tabdeeli is approaching its end, that too in a disgraceful and humiliating fashion.
The government has pushed 220 million people of the country into problems such “as inflation, lawlessness, and incompetence,” as a result of which the masses have been cursing the government, she said.
‘JUI-F the biggest party in KP’
Moreover, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman had said that local bodies elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa proved once again that his party was the single largest party of the province.
He made these remarks while addressing a press conference along with former Balochistan chief minister Aslam Raisani in Quetta on Monday.
“This election has proved that previous [2018 general elections] were rigged and JUI-F was and still is the largest party of the province,” he remarked.
Fazl said some forces did not want religious parties to come into power due to their ideology. “Why would we [JUI-F] be unacceptable to the Western world when the United States ‘allowed’ Taliban to take over Afghanistan?” he added.
The JUI-F chief further said the elections results have vindicated their stance that corruption allegations had been used as a tool to victimise opposition parties.
“The practice to defame politicians should end now,” said Fazl, adding that his party could run the affairs of the state better than the ruling PTI.
