In a defensive move to avoid defections, especially from the southern Punjab, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has sped up efforts and the party bigwigs in the provincial assembly have asked Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani to provide additional development funds from federal resources to party legislators for undertaking projects in the region. PPP sources told Pakistan Today on Tuesday that Opposition Leader in Punjab Assembly Raja Riaz, Parliamentary Leader Zulfiqar Gondal and Deputy Parliamentary Leader Shaukat Basra met Gilani on the sidelines of federal cabinet meeting and discussed various political and financial issues faced by the party’s provincial legislators. The meeting was held at the Punjab Governor’s House and continued for more than one hour.
According to the sources, PPP’s legislators informed the prime minister about their problems, especially the issue of stoppage of development funds for opposition members by the Punjab government.They also discussed the provincial government’s performance and its political moves against the federal government. They informed Gilani about the political situation in the Punjab Assembly with reference to the forward bloc and made it clear to him that if the federal government did not initiate any step in this regard on war footing, the development could prove destructive for the PPP in Punjab. Sources said Gondal told the prime minister about the problems of his party colleagues in Mandi Bahauddin, especially the blockade of development funds. The PPP bigwigs in Punjab Assembly also informed Gilani about the Punjab government’s policy of victimisation and registration of fake cases against them.They reiterated their earlier proposal of sparing some funds for PPP Punjab MPAs from the account of PPP MNAs belonging to other three provinces. Gilani said the federal government would look into the matter and an announcement would be made in this regard in the PPP Punjab parliamentary meeting scheduled on December 3. The PM also directed the PPP leaders to settle affairs with annoyed leaders to inquire about their grievances and address them amicably.
