QUETTA: Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Abdul Qudoos Bizenjo has said that his government is fully prepared to hold local government (LG) elections as scheduled by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

He said in a statement on Friday that all institutions concerned had been given the task of holding the LG elections in a peaceful and transparent manner.

The chief minister said that due to the preparation of the budget for the next financial year and some other reasons, the provincial government had earlier wanted the LG elections to be postponed for some time.

“The government will fulfill its responsibility to hold the elections as per the ECP schedule,” he said.

Mr Bizenjo said his government would provide all resources for the LG elections because the local bodies were the nursery of democracy and the basis for devolution.

He said the local bodies would solve the problems of the people at the grassroots level.

The chief minister expressed the hope that all political parties would fully participate in the LG elections.

Published in Dawn, April 16th, 2022