Opposition leader in Punjab Assembly Raja Riaz Ahmed has said that Punjab government was conspiring to take over Governor’s House with the connivance of police as it happened in the case of Governor’s House Murree. Talking to the media outside assembly on Friday, he said Shahbaz Sharif’s government was attempting to curtail governor’s authority in the administrative affairs of the province but Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) would oppose all these attempts.
He said that Shahbaz’s cabinet had reduced the discretionary funds of the governor. Riaz, protesting the suspension of development funds to the opposition lawmakers by the Punjab government, cautioned provincial government that they would not let the assembly proceedings run if the developments funds to the opposition MPAs were not released by Monday next. Raja Riaz said that PPP Parliamentary Party had confidence on President Zardari and Prime Minister Gillani and paid tributes to them on their steps to get the country out of crisis.
Criticising Shahbaz for not taking his cabinet into confidence in important decisions, Riaz said that Shahbaz had a dictatorial attitude and wanted to run the provincial government in a royal manner without the consultation of the assembly. He said it was why his government was trying to curb Punjab Governor Sardar Latif Khosa who had a very lenient attitude towards PML-N government from the day first of his appointment. Roasting the Punjab government failure in controlling dengue fever epidemic, he said that it was ironic that Shahbaz had announced that he would ask chief of army staff to provide military support in combating dengue.
Raja added that PML-N did not have the capability to run governmental affairs without the help of army and guns. He said that Shahbaz Taseer, the son of former governor, had not been recovered, which reflected the lose grip of Punjab government on law and order in the province.