PPP to move court over unification bloc seats

PPP says it will challenge in LHC, Punjab Assembly speaker’s decision to allocate separate seats to unification bloc.

LAHORE: PPP Punjab has said it will challenge in the Lahore High Court the Punjab Assembly speaker’s decision to allocate separate seats to the unification bloc.

PPP leader Raja Riaz met Punjab Assembly Speaker Rana Muhammad Iqbal on Thursday and demanded a copy of the notification that allocates separate seats to the 47 dissidents of the PML-Q. “PPP considers the allocation of separate seats to dissidents illegal and unconstitutional,” he said while talking to journalists at the Punjab Assembly. Riaz added that the speaker refused to provide them a copy of the notification.

He said he had asked the speaker to withdraw his notification because PML-Q’s President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain was the party head and he could appoint a parliamentary leader of his party in the house.

The PPP Punjab leader added that if the PML-N can force the PPP to comply with the 18th amendment, then the PPP can force the PML-N to implement article 63 A of the constitution in order to submit a reference against the members of the unification bloc.

He said the PML-N has to be accountable before the nation if it joins the unification bloc, which would be in clear violation of the Charter of Democracy and the spirit of the 18th amendment.

He said the PPP’s ministers will meet President Zardari today (Friday) and they will devise a strategy. He said that any party decision regarding a vote of no confidence against the Punjab chief minister will be finalised by the party leadership.  Riaz added that the PPP knows that the PML-N cannot form a government in Punjab alone.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 25^th, 2011.