QUETTA: In a strong show of confidence, leaders of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) in Balochistan have announced the party will contest all 642 wards and union councils in the upcoming Quetta local government elections, predicting that the future Mayor and Town Chairmen will be from their party.
The announcement was made during a press conference at the Quetta Press Club by key figures including Naseem-ur-Rehman Khan Mulakhel, the chairman of the local government election committee. The leaders stated that a dedicated committee has been formed on the instructions of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to oversee the entire election process.
Expressing unwavering confidence, the party leadership credited the “progressive thinking” of Nawaz Sharif as the key to solving Quetta’s persistent problems. They declared that the PML-N has fully prepared its candidates and will enter the electoral fray with a “solid plan of action” alongside its allies.
To ensure a smooth process, the party has established a legal committee led by Advocate Malik Anwar Nisam. This team will provide comprehensive legal assistance to all PML-N candidates throughout the election period.
In response to questions, the leaders addressed the absence of Provincial President Sheikh Jafar Khan Mandokhel from the campaign, clarifying that the Governor has decided to remain separate from the election process due to his constitutional position. Meanwhile, the party committee has initiated a outreach campaign to re-engage with inactive party workers, anticipating positive results from these contacts. The PML-N urged the citizens of Quetta to vote for “sincere, peace-loving, and service-minded” representatives to address long-standing local issue.
Meanwhile for the first phase of local government LG elections in Quetta, with a significant total of 3,121 candidates submitting nomination papers for 641 wards across the city’s 172 union councils, according to officials from the Election Commission.
The enthusiastic response from prospective candidates signals a keenly contested democratic process to establish grassroots leadership in the provincial capital. The breakdown provided by officials reveals a widespread interest across Quetta’s major towns. The Town area leads with 940 candidates, followed closely by Zarghun Town with 918 aspirants. Chiltan Town recorded 701 submissions, while Sariab Town saw 562 candidates file their papers for the upcoming polls.
