LAHORE – Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) on Saturday extended a conditional support to Shahbaz Sharif in the case of a ‘no-confidence motion’ against him in the provincial assembly. Under the ‘revised reconciliation policy’, Opposition Leader in Punjab Assembly Raja Riaz announced that they would not vote against the chief minister if the turncoats were not embraced.
Talking to the media men outside the Punjab Assembly, Riaz said they were ready to let the PML-N rule in the province if it did not seek the PML-Q dissidents’ (Unification Bloc) help; otherwise, his party would support the no-confidence motion against Shahbaz Sharif. The Punjab chief minister would only get the PPP’s support if he gave up the politics of turncoats, he added.
Riaz slammed Shahbaz, saying a one man show would not be tolerated and he should refrain from the ‘drama’ of being Khadim-e-Aala, adding that the chief minister seldom showed up in the Punjab Assembly and he should appear before the house for an accountability of his actions. Riaz said he wanted to congratulate Shahbaz as some members of his newly-formed ‘lota foundry’ had rebelled.
“However, they are being assembled in the CM House again,” he said, adding that Shahbaz should to take a fresh vote of confidence and discard the ‘lota foundry’. He said unfortunately, horse-trading and blackmailing would continue and there was no governance in Punjab, as protests had become a routine matter.
Criticising the financial mismanagement under Shahbaz rule, he said Punjab was being run on loans obtained from the federation and it would be on the verge of devastation if lending was stopped. He said although cabinet should meet fortnightly under the constitution, only a few meetings were called during the last three years.
MPA Zulfiqar Gondal said that the chief minister had lost majority on March 2. He said Shahbaz did not trust the directly and indirectly elected members and appointed unelected people, like Zakiya Shahnawaz and Raja Ishfaq Sarwar, on various slots, meaning that no one was competent enough among his 167 members for ministership.
Gondal said the act had humiliated the sanctity of the house and they had submitted a privilege notion in the house to discuss the issue. They would submit another privilege motion against the task forces using cars and other facilities of the Punjab government, causing a huge loss to the province, Gondal added.
