LAHORE - Somewhat favouring non-party LG polls, Punjab Law and Local Government Minster Rana Sanaullah has said party-based polls are not ‘manageable’ and will ‘damage’ the political parties.
Answering questions raised by The Nation Editor Salim Bokhari at Waqt News programme ‘Insight’ on Saturday, Rana Sana said every political party was not obliged to take part in the party-based elections. “In a union council, 10 members are to be elected in the LG polls, which are not manageable for a single party,” he said.
To a question regarding dialogue with Taliban and militants, he said the government was mandated to talk to them at the APC and the government was quite sincere in this regard. However, no negotiations were possible unless Taliban announced ceasefire, but they had imposed the condition of first getting the drone attacks stopped. He said the fulfillment of this condition was beyond their control. He said: “We have capability of shooting down the drones. But we cannot do it for the entailing consequences of this action,” he added. “We also cannot block the Nato supplies for the purpose of halting the drones. In the past, Nato supplies were blocked for seven months, but drone attacks did not stop,” he said.  Rana Sanaullah said Taliban, after being trained in the religious seminaries, were used as mujahideen against Russia in 80s. And Taliban who had made America the only super power in the world were left in the lurch and were not absorbed in the security system to play a positive role, as a result of which they indulged in criminal activities.
When questioned whether Taliban had heydays during the MMA government in Khyber PK, he said major components of the Alliance were involved in the training of the Taliban during Russian invasion. The minister showed satisfaction that the Punjab government had successfully broken network of the terrorists in the province. Had that not happened, Punjab would have also faced the Karachi-like situation. He said in Punjab elite force had been specifically created to counter terrorism.
When asked majority of the law enforcers were deputed to perform protocol duties of the VIPs, he said this was not the case as only 1,300 cops were deputed for the security of judges, ministers and those VIPs who were facing security threats.
Without naming Rehman Malik, the minister said the PPP interior minister falsely dubbed Punjab as a hub of terrorists during the last PML-N government which then had time and again asked the minister to nab the terrorists through the agencies under the federal government control if they were taking shelter in Punjab. He said if any province has proofs that Maulana Muhammad Ahmad Ludhianvi or Malik Ishaq is involved in terrorist activities, the provincial government would take action against them.
To a question regarding the PTI allegations of polls rigging, he said Imran Khan lived in an imaginative world as he did not even know how much money his party leaders had collected in the last elections from the candidates for distribution of tickets. He said he would give proofs if the matter was brought to any inquiry commission. At the same time, he brushed aside the allegations that PML-N leaders also earned money from the award of tickets and said it was only funds to which every party is entitled. He said Imran Khan had chanted the slogan to make the Khyber PK government of his party a role model for others, but today the provincial government is involved in corruption and favouritism as many relatives of the KPP CM had been made legislators. The minister also termed PTI protest against drones a drama and a means to get the status of shaheed with regard to its provincial government. He also wondered at the registration of an FIR against the CIA head. After the PTI’s protest against drone attacks had failed, it was now turning to price hike issue, spending huge money on public meetings. He said at least six or seven percent poor people would get benefit if the same money was spent on their welfare.
To another question, the minister said the LG polls would be held in time as per the SC directions. He also hoped delimitation of the constituencies would be completed before January 30.