LAHORE: The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) on Thursday accused sections of the Punjab bureaucracy of obstructing its local government election campaign in Lahore, alleging that officials were attempting to sow discord between the party and its coalition partner, the PML-N.
Addressing a press conference alongside party leaders Majeed Ghauri and Advocate Shahid Abbas, PPP Lahore’s senior leader Faisal Mir claimed that the traffic police had begun forcibly removing the party’s publicity material from vehicles, despite it being displayed on private property. He termed the action an attempt to undermine the party’s preparations ahead of the local government polls.
Mr Mir further alleged that Mr Ghauri had been summoned by the deputy commissioner’s office and asked to halt the PPP’s membership drive in the city. He added that the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) had issued an Rs874,000 notice to the PPP’s Lahore office in Johar Town, where the party is coordinating its local bodies’ campaign.
اگر ڈپٹی کمشنر لاہور اور سی ٹی او لاہور نے پیپلزپارٹی کی بلدیاتی ممبر سازی کی مہم کے خلاف آپریشن کو فوری طور پر نہ روکا تو پیپلزپارٹی کے کارکن لاہور کے چاروں اعلی افسروں کے دفاتر کا گھیراؤ کریں گے۔ وزیراعظم @CMShehbaz اس بات کی تحقیقات کروائیں کہ لاہور کی انتظامیہ کے یہ افسران کس… pic.twitter.com/IpoKyZIFZQ
— Faisal Mir (@faisalmirppp) November 20, 2025
He questioned why similar notices had not been issued to PML-N offices across Lahore, including the ruling party’s central secretariat at 80-H Model Town. “The bureaucracy is conspiring against the Punjab government by targeting an allied party,” he claimed, demanding an inquiry into the actions of the deputy commissioner, the chief traffic officer (CTO) and the LDA.
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Issuing a warning to the administration, Mr Mir said the PPP would surround the offices of the commissioner, deputy commissioner and CTO if the alleged harassment did not stop within 24 hours.
Advocate Shahid Abbas, who also heads the People’s Lawyers Forum (PLF) for Lahore Division, said Article 16 of the Constitution allowed citizens to display political flags or banners on their offices, homes and vehicles. He warned that legal action would be taken against government employees involved in what he described as “political vendetta”.
Responding to the allegations, an LDA official said the notice to the PPP office was issued because the concerned plot was being used for “commercial activities” without fulfilling legal requirements.
The claims have surfaced at a sensitive time for the ruling coalition in Punjab, where the PPP and PML-N are preparing to contest the upcoming local government elections while attempting to maintain a working relationship within the provincial government.
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