LAHORE - Asserting that all the political parties should be taken on board over caretaker setup, PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif Wednesday said that local polls may be held before or after the general elections.
Talking to the media after chairing a party meeting here, the PML-N leader said his party had no objection to holding of local polls even before the general elections.
“The PML-N had always been supportive of local governments unlike the PPP which did not hold local elections during its tenures. These may be held before or after the general elections”, he remarked answering a question. He said Musharraf used local bodies to favour a selected few. On setting up of a caretaker setup, Nawaz said all parties including those not part of the parliament should be consulted for the purpose.
“The new amendments in the constitution also imply that all parties, including the opposition, should be consulted before putting in place a caretaker government to hold the elections.”, he said.
Asked to comment on the appointment of new CEC, Nawaz reposed his full confidence in Fakhruddin G Ebrahim, saying he was an upright and honest person.
He hoped that new CEC would stay neutral during the electoral process. Nawaz also said that with the appointment of Fakhruddin, the prospects of holding free and fair elections had become bright.
In response to a question that PTI may give a tough time to the PML-N in the coming elections, Nawaz said that it would not be correct to draw such conclusions at this stage. “It remains to be seen who would give a tough time to whom”, he said with a smile on his face.
Again, in a lighter vein, Nawaz said that PPP had always given them a tough time, and it was still doing so. “All parties would come to know about their real worth when they face each other in the elections”, he observed, adding, “We will also give a tough time to those planning to give us a tough time”.
Talking about implementation of Supreme Court’s verdict on NRO, the PML-N president said that the constitution was supreme and the court orders must be implemented regardless of how many prime ministers come and go. 
“The NRO verdict must be implemented even if 10 prime ministers have to go home”, he stressed.
Nawaz told the media that he would be leaving for Sindh tomorrow (today) to make a formal announcement regarding his party’s electoral alliance with the Sindh United Party. “Though we have brought a good number of noted personalities from Sindh into the party fold, but we also have the experience of contesting elections single-handedly in the past”, he remarked.