The Chaudhrys felt another shock on Tuesday after the formation of a PML-Q dissident bloc in the Senate, as two PML-Q MNAs decided to sit on opposition benches in the National Assembly. Recently-elected PML-Q MNA Owais Ahmed Khan Legahri announced in the National Assembly on Tuesday that he was against his party’s decision of joining the ruling coalition and he would continue sitting on the opposition benches with Marvi Memon.
Speaking on a point of order, Legari requested the NA deputy speaker not to allocate him a seat on treasury benches. “The PPP and the PML-Q leadership had assured us that they would introduce a constitutional amendment in parliament for the creation of a separate province in southern Punjab before forming an alliance, but my party (PML-Q) joined the government only on a statement issued by the president’s spokesman,” he said.
Leghari said he would remain part of the opposition until the bifurcation of Punjab. “Marvi has already requested the speaker in written not to change her seat from opposition to treasury benches. I am verbally requesting the deputy speaker for the same,” he said. Members of the PML-N appreciated Legahri’s announcement through desk thumping.
Leghari’s decision of sitting on opposition benches was apparently linked to issue of the Seraiki province, but he fact remains that he stayed away from the ruling PPP due to the Leghari family’s feud with President Asif Ali Zardari. Senators Tariq Azeem, Naeem Hussain Chatha, Gulshan Saeed, Javed Ali Shah and Jamal Leghari were among the PML-Q senators who submitted an application with the Senate Secretariat last week seeking seats on opposition benches.
Senators Salim Saifullah, Ghaffar Qureshi and Haroon Akhtar of the PML-Q Likeminded have already parted ways with the Chaudhrys. A number of PML-Q MNAs who joined the PML-Q Likeminded, including Nauman Langrial, Talib Nakai, Sadiq Khan Baloch, Israr Tareen, Riaz Fatiana and Kishan Chand Parwani, are now happy with the PPP-PML-Q alliance and are unlikely to stage mutiny against the Chaudhrys.
Even PML-Q Likeminded Information Secretary Kashmala Tariq has been asked by the PPP leadership not to oppose the PML-Q’s alliance with the PPP and in exchange, the government has withdrawn NA Speaker Fehmida Mirza from race for commonwealth women parliamentary caucus in favour of Kashmala. Senator Tariq Azim said his group’s number had swelled from five to seven, but he refused to share the names of the other two senators who would sit on opposition benches after PML-Q’s alliance with the PPP.
