Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz President and former Punjab Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif, has called a meeting of the parliamentary party of the PML-N in the provincial assembly on Tuesday (February 26) in Lahore.
Sources in the PML-N told Business Recorder on Saturday that the meeting would be attended by as many as 105 PML-N members in the Punjab Assembly besides quite a good number of independent members who had shown willingness to join the party. Out of 39 independent members in the Punjab assembly, many of them had contacted the PML-N leadership and assured full co-operation in the formation of new government in the Punjab province, the sources claimed. According to election commission regulations, independent member are required to join any of the political party within three days after the issuance of notification pertaining to their being members of the assembly.
According to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Punjab Secretary General Raja Ashfaque Sarwar, the meeting will discuss the party's future strategy and also endorse the CEC's decision nominating Shahbaz Sharif as the PML-N's parliamentary leader in the Punjab Assembly.
The Central Working Committee of the PML-N had nominated Mian Nawaz Sharif and Mian Shahbaz Sharif as parliamentary leader of the PML-N in the National and Punjab Assemblies respectively. Former Federal Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed had already expressed astonishment over the nomination of Sharif brothers as parliamentary leaders in the National and Punjab assemblies. Both the brothers could not contest the polls after the rejection of their nomination papers. However, both Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif had given indication to contest the by-polls and they are expected to contest the election from Lahore.
About the possibility of accepting the Q-League newly elected legislators in the fold of the PML-N, the party sources claimed that some elected members from central and southern Punjab had shown willingness to join the party, but final decision in this regard would be taken by the party leadership. About joining of the independents, the party sources claimed that the district leadership would be consulted before the entry of the newcomers in the PML-N.
Moreover, race is on within the ranks of the PML-N for nomination of party's candidates for the slot of Chief Minister for an interim period. There was consensus among the ranks and file of the PML-N over the name of Shahbaz Sharif for the office of Punjab chief executive. However, since Shahbaz was not member of the Punjab assembly, therefore, before he becomes assembly member, any other member will be appointed as Chief Minister for a short period. In this regard, various names are under consideration.
On the other hand, a meeting of the parliamentary party of the Pakistan People's Party in the Punjab assembly was held at Zardari House Islamabad with Asif Zardari in the chair.
The sources told this scribe that Asif Zardari apprised the members of the parliamentary party about the efforts being made by the PPP for the formation of a coalition government at centre and provinces to jointly face the challenges being faced by the country.
According to Sardar Abdul Qayyum Khan Jatoi, MPA-elect of the Pakistan People's Party in today's meeting no decision had been taken about the parliamentary leader of the PPP in the Punjab assembly. However, he said the decision would be taken within next few days.
The members of parliamentary of the Pakistan People's Party in the Punjab assembly authorised Asif Zardari to take final decisions pertaining to formation of new governments at centre and provinces in the larger interest of the country and nation as well as democracy, the sources in the PPP claimed.
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