MPAs being forced to meet CM: PML-N

Sana alleges NAB being used for political engineering

LAHORE:

Tbe Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz has alleged that its members of Punjab Assembly are being forced to meet Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar and those not obeying the orders are facing punitive action.

PML-N Punjab President Rana Sanaullah made the allegation while addressing a press conference after the party’s reorganisation meeting. He alleged that the government was using NAB as a tool for blackmailing and political engineering. He said people were being forced to meet the CM Punjab and ones refusing to do so were being dealt with. He claimed that MPA Hamid Rashid from Faisalabad was asked to meet the CM Punjab and on refusing to do so, NAB opened an inquiry against him. Similarly, another MPA, Zafar Iqbal from the same city, was asked to meet the CM with an assurance no photographs would be taken, he alleged. adding that when the legislator refused, he was booked by the anti-corruption establishment.

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He said that under these circumstances, who should be blamed, the people being forced to hold the meetings or those who were victimising them.

He, however, also warned the MPAs that whoever would betray the mandate given by PML-N would stand humiliated very soon. He said the PML-N vote bank had grown stronger. He said that it was beyond logic as to what was the CM trying to prove by meeting five or six MPAs from his party. He asked if there was any threat of a no-confidence motion in the assembly. If not, then what was the point of this exercise? he asked. He said the people were facing one crisis after another and the ‘incompetent’ government was busy in number games and victimising opposition parties.

Furthermore, to put pressures on remaining MPAs in a splinter group, Rana Sanaullah also welcomed Rana Muhammad Saleem to his party. Rana Saleem was the runners up from the constituency where the last election was won by PML-N MPA Nishat Daha. Daha is said to be leading the splinter group within the PML-N that had held a meeting with the CM. Hr also recently invited other PML-N MPAs to strengthen his position.

Rana Sana said that the only way forward at this point in time is going for mid-term elections. He said that there will be his party’s demand in the opposition APC as well. He said that they will try and convince other parties to back their demand for mid-term elections. He said the opposition wants free and fair elections. He said that every person in the country, let it be a millionaire or otherwise, will say that they have been deceived.

He announced that the party had completed district level reorganisation. He said the party will also be reorganised at the grass root level.

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He claimed that his party’s mandate was stolen in last elections and a group was imposed on the country that has sunk the system into an abyss. He said the rulers had been been so blinded with anger that they even tried to put the blame of pilots’ fake degree scandal on PML-N. He said the unsubstantiated allegations against pilots have ridiculed Pakistan in the country world had brought a bad name to the professionals.

He alleged that the government was not against mafias, but its members were themselves a mafia, as has been proven in the cases of sugar and petrol. He said that petroleum was not available when it was cheap but when prices were increased it became available in ample quantity, similarly in case of sugar mafia, the sugar barons were in the government and given that prices of sugar despite their claims of action had surpassed Rs90 per kg. He said that after all ones who had sponsored political endeavours had to be repaid.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 18^th, 2020.