Breaking the deadlock: PML-N wants to lead provinces panel
Demands all members should be from Punjab; says it wants PPP to share ‘political credit’.
ISLAMABAD:
A day after the opposition rejected the government’s commission on new provinces, the ruling party reportedly launched renewed efforts to end the deadlock.
The efforts, it appears, may be bearing fruit.
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has demanded the chairmanship of the new provinces’ commission and wants the platform to be an all-Punjab body, with members from other provinces expelled, said top officials in the PML-N while speaking to The Express Tribune on Friday.
The commission is currently headed by Senator Farhatullah Babar, who is also the spokesperson for President Asif Ali Zardari and hails from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
Sharing political credit
The PML-N does not want to ‘spoil’ the creation of the proposed South Punjab province, one official from the party said.
All the opposition was expecting from the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) was to execute the idea in a way that makes it look like a ‘national decision,’ rather than that of the government, another PML-N leader said.
“We want the government to equally share the political credit with us … we will not like to be seen as a villain in the region,” the leader added.
According to sources, the fresh demand was conveyed to the government during a meeting between PPP stalwart and Religious Affairs Minister Syed Khursheed Shah, and PML-N Senator Ishaq Dar on Thursday.
PML-N spokespersons were contacted for either confirming or denying the information but they refused to offer any comments.
Govt mulls over demand
It was not immediately known if the PPP would give PML-N the chairmanship of the commission but there were strong indications that the government was at least contemplating the demand.
In what may be the most obvious indication, a meeting of the commission scheduled for Friday to draft its terms of references was put off to give backchannel efforts between the PPP and PML-N some more time to break the deadlock.
Sources said an informal meeting of top PPP leaders was held at the Parliament House with Law Minister Farooq H Naek and commission chair Farhatullah Babar.
Khursheed Shah, who held overnight talks with PML-N’s Dar, was also present at the meeting along with secretary National Assembly and a top official of the law ministry.
Sources said the meeting discussed the implications of the resolution passed by the Punjab Assembly this Wednesday, opposing the commission.
According to the Constitution, any move to alter the boundaries of a province has to be initiated in the assembly of the same province. Talking to media after the meeting, Farhatullah Babar attempted to downplay the impact of Punjab Assembly’s resolution, saying it would not stop the commission from proceeding with the task from next week.
The Friday meeting was postponed, not cancelled, because of unavailability of some members, Babar said.
He added he would personally contact the PML-N leadership and party’s members to the commission to ensure their attendance at future meetings.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 1st, 2012.
A day after the opposition rejected the government’s commission on new provinces, the ruling party reportedly launched renewed efforts to end the deadlock.
The efforts, it appears, may be bearing fruit.
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has demanded the chairmanship of the new provinces’ commission and wants the platform to be an all-Punjab body, with members from other provinces expelled, said top officials in the PML-N while speaking to The Express Tribune on Friday.
The commission is currently headed by Senator Farhatullah Babar, who is also the spokesperson for President Asif Ali Zardari and hails from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
Sharing political credit
The PML-N does not want to ‘spoil’ the creation of the proposed South Punjab province, one official from the party said.
All the opposition was expecting from the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) was to execute the idea in a way that makes it look like a ‘national decision,’ rather than that of the government, another PML-N leader said.
“We want the government to equally share the political credit with us … we will not like to be seen as a villain in the region,” the leader added.
According to sources, the fresh demand was conveyed to the government during a meeting between PPP stalwart and Religious Affairs Minister Syed Khursheed Shah, and PML-N Senator Ishaq Dar on Thursday.
PML-N spokespersons were contacted for either confirming or denying the information but they refused to offer any comments.
Govt mulls over demand
It was not immediately known if the PPP would give PML-N the chairmanship of the commission but there were strong indications that the government was at least contemplating the demand.
In what may be the most obvious indication, a meeting of the commission scheduled for Friday to draft its terms of references was put off to give backchannel efforts between the PPP and PML-N some more time to break the deadlock.
Sources said an informal meeting of top PPP leaders was held at the Parliament House with Law Minister Farooq H Naek and commission chair Farhatullah Babar.
Khursheed Shah, who held overnight talks with PML-N’s Dar, was also present at the meeting along with secretary National Assembly and a top official of the law ministry.
Sources said the meeting discussed the implications of the resolution passed by the Punjab Assembly this Wednesday, opposing the commission.
According to the Constitution, any move to alter the boundaries of a province has to be initiated in the assembly of the same province. Talking to media after the meeting, Farhatullah Babar attempted to downplay the impact of Punjab Assembly’s resolution, saying it would not stop the commission from proceeding with the task from next week.
The Friday meeting was postponed, not cancelled, because of unavailability of some members, Babar said.
He added he would personally contact the PML-N leadership and party’s members to the commission to ensure their attendance at future meetings.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 1st, 2012.