PTI thinks so
In what seemed to be the continuation of the federal government’s no holds barred policy vis a vis the local government (LG) elections, Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif has decided to appoint MNA Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry as the State Minister for Capital Administrations and Development Division (CADD), replacing Barrister Usman Ibrahim.
Sources said that though Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has emerged as the dominant party across Punjab in the recently-held first and second phases of local government elections, the federal capital would not be a walk in the park for PML-N in the wake of a split within local party cadres.
Sources believe that PTI may be in a better position than the PML-N to win local government polls in Islamabad due to its aggressive and well-organized election campaign spearheaded by PTI MNA Asad Umer.
The ruling party, in order to avoid a defeat at the hands of PTI in the LG polls in Islamabad, has decided to appoint local MNA Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry as state minister for the CADD, they maintained.
Capital Administration and Development Division is mainly responsible for executing all functions previously being performed by the abolished ministries and divisions within the jurisdiction of the federal capital. As such, functions of the Division are multifarious capturing a range of subjects like health, social welfare, education, rehabilitation of persons with disabilities, population welfare, etc.
Local government elections in Islamabad scheduled to be held on November 30. So, the results of LG polls in the federal capital may also impact LG polls in Rawalpindi slated to be held on December 5, the sources added.
Talking to Pakistan Today, PTI MNA from Islamabad Asad Umer expressed reservations over the appointment of Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry as State Minister for CADD ahead of the LG polls in the federal capital and said that PML-N was so scared of PTI’s possible victory in the upcoming polls in the twin cities especially in Islamabad, the prime minister had resorted to appointing his handpicked MNA as state minister for CADD to influence on the polls. He said that the government had been employing all tactics including using government machineries and police to secure majority in the federal capital.
However, he claimed that PTI would emerge victorious in the local government polls in Islamabad despite all odds, as the people of Islamabad had been fed up with the incumbent government’s anti-public policies.
When contacted, PML-N MNA Muhammad Tallal Chaudhry, rejected the opposition parties’ allegations and said that it was a routine matter and had nothing to do with the LG polls in Islamabad. He pointed out that Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry was an elected MNA from the federal capital.
He said that PML-N got a clear majority in the first and second phases of LG elections in Punjab and that the results of the third phase would also not be different from the earlier polls.
Talal said that PTI was using the appointment of Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry as CADD minister as a preemptive excuse, because PTI’s defeat was imminent.
When contacted, former Election Commission of Pakistan secretary (ECP) secretary Kanwar Dilshad, said that the appointment of Dr Fazal Chaudhry was not in violation of ECP’s code of conduct, as the code only applied to appointments of civil servants.
