Gilani’s lucrative package for PPP MPAs attracts few

In a desperate effort to inveigle back party dissidents and annoyed legislators in Punjab Assembly, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) on Saturday announced a lucrative package with Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani using his executive powers to announce funds of Rs 70 million for each PPP MPA in the provincial assembly from federal resources.
The provincial MPAs have already been allocated Rs 20 million each by the federal government. The prime minister made this announcement while chairing a meeting of provincial PPP leaders at the Punjab Governor’s House. Responding to demands of PPP lawmakers from Punjab who complained of not having granted funds by the Punjab government to initiate development funds in their respective constituencies, Gilani formally announced a package, per which the PM directed Finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Shaikh to release Rs 70 million each to all MPAs belonging to the PPP for development projects.
Moreover, the PPP lawmakers from Punjab have been granted a job quota in the federal departments to muster support within the electorate. Sources said Gilani assured the MPAs that the government would remove their reservations regarding affairs of their constituencies and the federal departments would also recruit people nominated by MPAs from across the country. It was also learnt that PPP provincial lawmakers would be given arms licence quota as well, as the premier assured PPP members that their demand for the approval of five prohibited bore weapons and 10 non-prohibited bore weapon licenses would be considered.
Directing the authorities concerned for early completion of federal government development projects in the province, the PM directed the ministers of water and power, petroleum, interior, chairman Pakistan Baitul Maal and chairperson Benazir Income Support Programme to remain available each month in Lahore and solve the problems faced by the lawmakers. The sources said the PPP leaders harshly criticised the provincial bureaucracy in the meeting.
Later, the PPP members of the Punjab Assembly expressed their confidence in the leadership of president and prime minister. However, sources said the PPP Punjab parliamentary party, which is facing an upheaval within its ranks, had again failed to gather its MPAs at the much-hyped meeting chaired by the PM. Party sources said only 60 PPP members of the Punjab Assembly attended the meeting and the same number of lawmakers was at the dinner hosted by Punjab Governor Latif Khosa on Friday. Besides dissidents and annoyed lawmakers, former provincial ministers Ashraf Sohna and Dr Tanvirul Islam also remained absent from the meeting.
One of the annoyed PPP lawmakers told Pakistan Today on condition of anonymity that the disgruntled leaders avoided the meeting to express their anger and disappointment with the PPP leadership. He said all such earlier meetings had proved futile, as only shallow promises were made by the party high ups. The PPP leader said several party mates were ready to “fly” to any other political party and were waiting for an appropriate time. He said Shah Mehmood Qureshi had the support of around nine members that could increase if the party leadership did not take preventive measures.
On the other hand, Governor House sources said 90 PPP MPAs had attended the meeting, while PPP Deputy Parliamentary Leader in Punjab Assembly Shaukat Basra claimed the attendance of 104. MPAs Dr Akhtar Malik and Muhammad Abbas Raan also boycotted the meeting.
When Raan was contacted, he said they had an informal meeting on Friday but a majority of likeminded MPAs was in favour of revealing themselves at an appropriate time. To a question about an expected disciplinary action from party, he said they were ready to face the music and if the party moved against them, they would be free to defend themselves at all forums. About the announcement made by the PM, he said such announcements had been made several times earlier as well, but were never fulfilled.