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Baig asks govt to hold LB polls on party basis

Recorder Report

LAHORE: Awami Qiadat Party (AQP) chief Gen. Mirza Aslam Baig (Retd), on Saturday asked the government to hold the local bodies elections on party basis.

While addressing a press conference accompanied by his political adviser Mohammad Mehdi and media adviser Tariq Gill, he stated that 110 local self-governments will be established as a result of these polls. If these elections are aimed at the revival of democracy, how can politicians be kept out of this process? he asked.

However, he rejected the demand of some opposition parties that the government should arrange fresh general elections instead of local bodies polls.

He said there were many weaknesses in the agenda announced by the present government pertaining to local bodies elections.

Commenting on the demand of some of political parties that the deposed prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, should not be given death sentence, Baig said that he did not know that what sentence court would announce in the plane case. However, he opposed awarding death sentence to Nawaz Sharif, adding that while he was in uniform had opposed hanging of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.

Regarding visit of US President Bill Clinton to Pakistan, he said it was evident that Pakistan had not accepted pressure on signing of the CTBT, Kashmir issue, relations with Afghanistan with special reference to Osama Bin Laden and alleged terrorism. However, he said, this visit had exposed the US-India closeness.

He claimed that under geo-economic world order, efforts were going on to maintain balance between the six big powers - the USA, Japan, Europe, China, Russia and India. He said by supporting India, the US wanted to utilise it against China and Islamic countries, especially Pakistan and other countries of this region.

To a question, he replied that the agenda of the present military government was of two years, they should be given time to complete their agenda. He said it was Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) and other political parties, which joined hands on one-point agenda of "remove Nawaz Sharif" due to which army found a chance to intervene.

He said the best way of return of army was that a national government should be formed with a politician as its head so that the military rulers could have interaction with the people and the political parties which should implement the agenda of the local bodies elections and gradually move towards elections of the national and provincial assemblies as well as the Senate.