Parliamentarians on Wednesday urged the government and the electoral watchdog to hold the local government elections as it was unfortunate that the system was not being strengthened, particularly in Punjab where elections had not been held at the grassroot level since 2021.

They were speaking at a session titled, 'Local Government System in Pakistan: From Challenges to Resilience' under the Sustainable Development Conference organised by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI).

MNA Nafisa Shah, the convener of the Parliamentary Forum on Energy and Economy, said that true governance was at the grassroot level and for that "we have to go to the doorstep of the people whether we occupy the position of prime minister."