PESHAWAR: Senior leaders of the Awami National Party (ANP), Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) held a joint meeting on Saturday discussed the delayed local government elections, the deteriorating law and order situation in the province and other key political developments.
The meeting was held at Bacha Khan Markaz with the ANP KP President Mian Iftikhar Hussain in the chair. The JUI-F delegation was led by former governor Haji Ghulam Ali, while the PPP delegation was headed by district president Razaullah Khan.
Speaking after the meeting, Mian Iftikhar Hussain said the province’s long-term public issues could only be addressed through a strong, empowered and well-resourced local government system. He accused both the federal and provincial governments of failing to take the restoration of local governments seriously despite constitutional obligations under the 18th Amendment.
He urged the PTI government to announce the schedule for local government elections without further delay, warning that postponing the polls would deepen governance challenges and deprive citizens of effective representation at the grassroots level.
He also stressed that elected local representatives must be granted constitutional, administrative and financial authority to ensure the system functions effectively. The ANP leader also expressed concern over the worsening security situation in the province, saying terrorism and political uncertainty were creating serious challenges for the people.
He urged all political parties to rise above political differences and work together to restore peace, eliminate terrorism and strengthen democratic institutions. It is worth mentioning that all three major opposition parties on this occasion agreed that discussions on possible political alliances would be held after the announcement of the local government election schedule in the province.
Leaders from all three parties agreed that cooperation among democratic forces was essential for ensuring peace, constitutional supremacy and an effective local government system in KP.
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