PPP in Punjab: President promises federal funds for MPs

Neither the CM, nor any Punjab govt official, came to receive the president at the airport.

LAHORE:

The president promised federal funds for ruling party’s lawmakers from the Punjab, who complained about discriminatory attitude of the provincial government towards them.

The Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) parliamentary party apprised President Asif Ali Zardari that the opposition members were deprived of development funds in the province.

Despite promises, PPP members are not given Rs8 million each from the Punjab government, they said. The president was attending a meeting of party lawmakers at the Governor House in Lahore.

The schism between the centre and provincial government was apparent earlier when neither Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, nor any of his Cabinet colleagues or Punjab government officials, arrived at the airport yesterday to receive the president who flew in from Naudero.

The president arrived in the provincial capital on a three-day visit and was received by Governor Latif Khosa.

The president headed straight to the Governor House where Khosa apprised him of the current political situation in the province and briefed him on the pace of development of the federally-funded projects in the province.

The president then chaired a meeting of the PPP Punjab parliamentary party in the evening where Leader of the Opposition in Punjab Assembly Raja Riaz briefed him on the political situation.

The meeting started late since most MPAs were on their way from Naudero after attending the death anniversary of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.

The president is scheduled to chair another meeting of the PPP parliamentary party at the Governor House tomorrow. He is expected to discuss the electoral preparedness of the party and an overall strategy to improve the political capital of the party in the province.

Later, the president will meet Peoples Lawyers Forum, PPP Labour Wing, PPP Women Wing and a delegation of the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 5^th, 2012.