ISLAMABAD: Civil society organisations and labour unions here on Monday decided to oppose any attempt by the Punjab government to fill seats reserved for marginalised groups through indirect method in the local government elections.

During a video conference, the representatives of the civil society organisations took serious note of reports that the Punjab government was planning to cut the number of ballot papers from six to two for the forthcoming union council elections.

They warned the ruling party not to use the alleged irregularities in the local government elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as an excuse to curb the right of the electorates from electing their representatives.

The ruling party must know that the people of Pakistan had very successfully cast their five ballots during the 2001 and 2005 local government elections, they added.

They said reserved quota seats of district councils, municipal corporations and municipal committees were already designed to be filled through an indirect method which was undemocratic and extremely corruptible.

In their view, this method was also a violation of Article 140-A (which says each province shall by law establish a local government system and devolve political, administrative and financial authority to the elected representatives).

The participants said the indirect method had been considered undemocratic all over the world because it deprived the electorates of their right to choose their representatives.

The representatives of Qaumi Labour Movement, Women Councillors` Network, Pattan Development Organisation, Punjab Bhatta Mazdor Tehreek and Sanjh Sawair participated in the video conference.

Sarwar Bari,theheadof Pattan Development Organisation, told Dawn that it was unfortunate that the Punjab government had been trying to fill the local council seats reserved for women and marginalised people through an indirect method.

`There should be 13 elected members in each Union Council (UC) but the government is considering a proposal under which six candidates will be elected through general seats and there will be joint candidates for the chairman and vice-chairman,` he said.

`During the recently-held elections in KP, as many as seven ballot papers were used. We urge the ruling party in Punjab to explain its position on the issue,` he said.