In face of defeat, PML-N remains resolute

Sanaullah claims 50 PTI MPAs will not vote for Elahi

LAHORE:

Despite staring down at defeat in the election for the Punjab chief minister’s position, the PML-N and its allies on Thursday refused to acknowledge the PTI’s majority in the provincial assembly.

They have vowed to use all available options to retain the Punjab government in the election scheduled to be held on Friday (today).

Addressing a news conference in Islamabad, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah claimed that around 50 “politically aware” PTI lawmakers, whose conscience was “alive”, would never vote for PML-Q leader and Punjab Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Parvez Elahi in the election.

“It [PTI] called him [Elahi] the ‘biggest bandit’ of Punjab. Now you are asking your own people to vote for him?” he added.

The minister further said the PTI MPAs were also upset at Elahi for his statement wherein he had said that he would dissolve the Punjab Assembly in two seconds if Imran asked him to do so.

His statement comes as opposition parties -- the PTI and PML-Q -- have accused the ruling PML-N of offering hefty amounts to their lawmakers in an attempt to buy their loyalties ahead of the Punjab chief minister election.

The ruling PML-N, with Hamza Shehbaz as the chief minister, lost the majority in the provincial legislature after the by-polls on 20 Punjab Assembly seats in which the PTI secured a landslide victory.

While the PTI-PML-Q is in a comfortable position to form the government, Sanaullah said his party believed that Elahi was unfit for the post of the Punjab chief executive.

“We are reaching out to everyone [to muster support for CM election] which is our political right,” the federal minister said while dismissing the allegations that the PML-N was involved in horse-trading.

“The run-off election will be held tomorrow and we will vigorously use our political options but I strongly reject these baseless allegations.”

Responding to PTI chairman and deposed premier Imran Khan’s claim that PPP Co-Chairperson Asif Ali Zardari was doling out an amount of Rs500 million to buy his party’s MPAs, Sanaullah said that the former himself was the “mastermind of buying and selling in politics”.

Political activity in Lahore was on full swing for the grand battle that was due to take place for the most coveted position of the province.

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Both sides have kept their parliamentarians in two different hotels of Lahore to prevent any mistakes.

The PML-N has claimed that their MPAs were being offered Rs100 million to switch their loyalties

At present, the PTI has an accumulative strength of 186 votes, minus the one estranged MPA who is said to be in Turkey as well as the vote of Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari. The PML-N has an accumulative strength of 180 votes, six less than those of the PTI.

Further compounding to the PML-N's miseries was the news of one of its MPAs suffering from Covid-19 and another one had gone off the grid.

The MPA suffering from coronavirus is Syeda Uzma Qadri, who had reportedly even in the last CM Punjab election, not cast her vote for Hamza.

Similarly, a previously estranged PML-N MPA Abu Hafs Ghiasuddin, who had recently mended ties with the party, has again gone off the grid. This means that he is highly unlikely to vote for the PML-N.

Minus these two votes, the PML-N's accumulative strength goes down to 178.

With a margin of eight votes, any chances of a last moment surprise are slim.

Imran is also in the provincial capital and attended a parliamentary meeting of the PTI Punjab leaders at a five-star hotel close to the provincial assembly, where the central party leadership and PML-Q Punjab leaders were also present.

Also read: Rivals wheel and deal for Punjab prize

According to sources, almost all of the party MPAs were present during the meeting, which means that the PTI and PML-Q did manage to keep their members in check.

The PML-N circles spread rumours that a number of PTI MPAs had not attended the meeting. Responding to that, PTI MPA Mian Atif said all party MPAs were present there.

He added that the PML-N was spreading these rumours out of “frustration”. He said the atmosphere at the meeting and generally in the hotel where they were lodging was rife with “excitement”.

“Imran Khan told us that both parties will treat each other like family. No difference will be kept between MPAs belonging to the PTI and PML-Q,” he added.

On the other hand, MPAs in the PML-N camp seemed in low spirits and mentally prepared for what was coming their way. PML-N MPA Khawaja Waseem Butt said the party had their total strength with them. When asked what their total strength was, he replied 180. After he was reminded about Abu Hafs, he conceded that it was 179. When asked about Uzma Qadri, he said that she would come despite contracting Covid-19 to cast her vote. Other MPAs that The Express Tribune spoke to did not give any clear answers. Uzma's husband, former provincial minister Zaeem Qadri, said his entire family was down with coronavirus. He added that his wife was on bed rest.

Zardari has also encamped in Lahore to try to salvage the PML-N-led Punjab government. The former president also held his party meetings on Thursday. However with only seven MPAs in Punjab, and a very thin vote bank, the PPP has little influence in provincial politics.

Zardari held a meeting with PML-Q President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain to discuss the election for the chief minister’s position.

This was the second time that Zardari met with Shujaat in three days.

According to sources, Federal Minister Chaudhry Salik Hussain, Shujaat's son, and PPP’s Rukhsana Bangash were also present in the meeting between the former president and the PML-Q chief.

After the meeting, the former president made a victory sign while smiling in front of the journalists and left without saying anything.

Later after meeting Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Zardari returned to Shujaat and expressed his desire to meet Elahi and his son Moonis.

According to sources, after hearing of Zardari’s arrival, Elahi and son went out of the house and refused to meet him.

According to other sources, Zardari had asked Shujaat to ask his party’s MPAs to vote for Hamza. Shujaat, however, refused. Seemingly, the sources added that unbeknown to Zadari, none of the PML-Q MPAs were in control of Shujaat. Even when a split had occurred in the PML-Q and the two camps had gone their separate ways for sometime, the party’s lawmakers in Punjab had vowed to stand by Elahi.

(With input from our correspondent in Islamabad)