PPP threatens no-trust move against Shahbaz

Raja Riaz says PML-N is violating Charter of Democracy by joining hands with the Unification Bloc.

LAHORE: If the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) removed the Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) from the provincial government, the PPP may demand a vote of confidence for Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif in the cabinet, Senior Minister Raja Riaz told reporters at his office on Friday.

“We will be very thankful to the PML-N if they remove us from the provincial government. In fact we will offer nawafil at Data Darbar,” he said.

He said that if the PPP was removed from the government, the PML-N will lose its majority.

“The final strategy will then be disclosed by the PPP in the Punjab and an action will be taken after consultation with the party leadership,” he added.

Riaz said that it was illegal to allot separate seats to the Unification Bloc. The PPP will fully support the leader of the opposition in challenging the group in the court, he maintained. “The PML-N has buried the Charter of Democracy by promoting turncoat politics,” he said.

He rejected the PML-N’s stance that the PPP’s 19-point reform agenda was useless, saying, that the agenda was purely for the betterment of the province.

Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif had nominated two PML-N members to form a committee to discuss the PPP’s 19 points. Riaz said that the PPP was still waiting for a response from the committee.

Muhammad Ashraf Sohna, the PPP provincial minister for labour, said that the Unification Bloc would work with the PML-N as a “commercial partner.” He said that people would be highly disappointed with the PML-N if they gave ministries to the members of the group, as they had supported a dictator.

He said that the PML-N’s decision to join hands with the Unification Bloc might hurt both the PML-N and the PPP in future elections.

Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah, responding to Raja Riaz’s press conference later, said that the minister was levelling false allegations against the PML-N.

“Instead of such uselespress conferences, the PPP should focus on good governance, eradication of corruption and the accountability bill,” he said. He said that Raja Riaz could happily perform nawafil at the shrine and it might help them in the long run.

Sanaullah said that the Unification Bloc had formed their own group by opposing their party, the PML-Q, and enjoying the support of a majority of the PML-Q members in the house.

Challenging PML-Q Opposition Leader Chaudhry Zaheeruddin Khan’s comments, he said that no law enabled the head of a political party to appoint a parliamentary leader in the house.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 19^th, 2011.