No place for turncoats in PML-N, says minister

ISLAMABAD: The ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) plays down the latest defections from the party, saying that it had already decided not to award tickets to ‘such turncoats’ for the upcoming parliamentary elections.

"This will not make any difference to the party," said State Minister for Information Marriyum Aurangzeb while talking to the media at the National Press Club on Monday.

The media talk came after eight PML-N lawmakers from South Punjab parted ways with the ruling party. Six of the dissidents have decided to launch a movement to make South Punjab a separate province. They are Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtiar, Alam Dar Laleka, Basit Bukhari, Syed Asghar Ali Shah, Nasrullah Dareshak and Rana Qasim Noon.

Questioning their intention, the state minister asked why the dissidents did not demand a separate province when they were part of the government for almost five years.

“Why didn't they spend their development funds on the well-being of the people of South Punjab,” she questioned.



Rejecting their criticism, Aurangzeb insisted that Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif had given a special focus on the province’s southern parts and initiated many development projects.

She went on to say that those people were never in reality part of the PML-N. “They were the same people who neither supported deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif nor did they back the party's ideology.”

The minister said it was important to find out who were behind such turncoats and “who promised them greener pastures”.

She claimed that such people would surely be rejected by the masses in the upcoming general elections. "They have no conscience,” she said about the dissidents. “Their loyalties are only with their own interests.”

The minister said such turncoats had no place in the party.

 8th Wage Board Award

The federal government has announced the 8th Wage Board Award for journalists after a delay of 18 years.

Announcing the award at the National Press Club, the state minister for information said the recommendations for the award would be presented before the Cabinet in the next meeting.



“The announcement of the 8th Wage Board Award is not just a verbal announcement but all-out efforts will be made for its effective implementation,” she said.

The minister informed the media that the 8th Wage Board Award had been constituted with the support of all stakeholders and former federal minister for information Pervaiz Rasheed played an important role in this regard.