LAHORE – Anticipating the changing political climate and recent moves on the political front as countdown bells for the general elections, many prospective independent candidates have launched public-liaison campaigns in Lahore to introduce themselves among voters as candidates, Pakistan Today has learnt.
Interestingly, political groups have geared up preparations in name of local government elections but political workers have termed their party restructuring, workers contact and relief packages for masses a pre-general election preparation to muster more and more support of voters.
On the other hand, some intending independent candidates have also geared up for mid-term or general elections.
They have been using all advertising and publicity techniques to publicise their manifestos. In order to gather more and more support of voters, some candidates have involved themselves in social service activities and some were trying to highlight public problems besides joining the masses in their religious and day-to-day events.
One such candidate, Chaudhry Asghar Ali Bhulla, wishing to contest a provincial assembly election told Pakistan Today that he was expecting some changes in next parliament and predicted that next parliament would have a majority of independent candidates, as the general public was disappointed by political parties and seasoned politicians. He said that corruption and nepotism of major ruling parties had added to the miseries of the masses and this time, voters would only favour candidates who come up with solutions to problems of the masses.
“At end of the day, we need to transform public opinion into a protest to make a change because change will eventually happen if we are persistent,” Bhulla said.
Another prospective candidate Engineer Naeem Niazi, struggling to get a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) ticket, had launched his campaign saying that they were now concentrating on their campaigns, which included promises to eradicate corruption and abuses of power.
“In Pakistan, we don’t have a real democracy because the power doesn’t completely lie in hands of the people ever since the country came into being. If we want real reforms then we need to change the political system by changing how the country is run, which means substantial constitutional reforms,” Niazi said. Chaudhry Shahbaz, running his public-contact campaign in northern Lahore said,
“My prime objective is to highlight issues of corruption and abuse of power. I will take our fight against corruption to parliament because the majority of issues in the country relate to problems arising from corruption.”
My prime objective is to highlight issues of corruption and abuse of power. I will take our fight against corruption to parliament because the majority of issues in the country relate to problems arising from corruption
