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PPP giving a tough time to PML-N
Newly elected Speaker Punjab Assembly Rana Iqbal speaks to the members after assuming charge during an Assembly session in Lahore. –APP Photo
LAHORE: The Pakistan People’s Party, it seems, has decided to give a tough time to its senior coalition partner, Pakistan Muslim League-N, in the house proceedings.
The impression is created by the unusual unity PPP MPAs are showing on various issues and are trying to make others to join them. For the last couple of days, all the PPP MPAs from southern Punjab have been unanimous demanding separation of their area as a stand-alone province if ‘Lahore’ fails to treat the cotton belt at par with other regions of the province.
The creation of new provinces is a constitutional subject and a prerogative of the federal government where the party is in power. But the issue has not been raised even once in the National Assembly or Senate, the forums competent to amend the basic law for creating more federating units.
While the Punjab Assembly is reverberating with the demand, the PML-N as well as some opposition members term the demand, ill-timed keeping in view the economic, political and law and order situation of the country.
Reports said PPP MPAs from southern Punjab are holding meetings on the sidelines of assembly’s budget session and are inviting and ‘instigating’ representatives of other parties from the region to join them for ‘demanding rights for southern Punjab.’
On Friday, the PPP members found a new issue to create a situation for the PML-N. Law Minister Rana Sanaullah, on a privilege motion of PPP’s Pir Ashraf Rasool, earlier moved in the house, was urging the chair to refer it to the privileges committee when Tariq Bajwa, another PPP MPA from Sheikhupura, lamented that no action had been taken on his motion filed on Jan nine while the committee was also incomplete as its chairperson had not yet been elected.
Promising that the chairperson would be elected in a meeting of the committee immediately after the session, Rana Sana thought Bajwa’s issue stood solved to his satisfaction.
He informed the house that as per demand of Bajwa, Faisalabad’s regional police officer, city police officer and Sheikhupura range DIG had accompanied him to Bajwa’s residence where the officers had tendered apologies as desired by the mover who, the minister said, then forgave them for whatever their fault was. Two of the officers named in the motion—Lyalpur Town SP and Nankana DPO—were not forgiven by the MPA and had thus been transferred, he said.
The mover acknowledged the fact but the MPAs from Sheikhupura and Nankana districts kept protesting and demanding the transfer of Sheikhupura DPO for abusing politicians.
Rana Sana said it was the prerogative of the chief minister to suspend or transfer any DPO. Secondly, he said the action without following a legal course could backfire.To foil the minister’s attempt to calm down the MPAs, opposition leader Chaudhry Zaheeruddin said Shahbaz Sharif had been casually suspending and getting officers arrested and there was no harm if he met this demand too.
DAWN: Saturday, 27 Jun, 2009
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