September 03, 2007	Monday	Sha'aban 20, 1428

BAHAWALPUR, Sept 2: The Pakistan Muslim League (PML) has decided to file a disqualification reference against former federal parliamentary secretary Makhdum Syed Ali Hassan Gilani for his defection to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Dawn has learnt.

According to a source, the PML will shortly send this reference to the National Assembly speaker, who will forward it to the Election Commission of Pakistan.

Gilani, who addressed a press conference here on Sunday, criticised the government and the PML for their policies. He called the parliament a rubberstamp. He said a group of opportunists ruled the country and added that this group also had its representatives in Bahawalpur. He said Bahawalpur was still backward and government claims of spending billions of rupees on development projects here were a propaganda.

Gilani asked President Pervez Musharraf to quit. He said that people would reject those who would strike a deal with the government. He called for withdrawal of cases against dissent politicians and replacement of the graduation condition for candidates with law graduation.

VOTE FOR MUSHARRAF: A member of the National Assembly (MNA) said here on Sunday that he would vote for President Pervez Musharraf in the upcoming presidential election.

Talking to Dawn, Mian Riaz Hussain Peerzada criticised those trying to strike a deal with Musharraf, saying that on the one hand they were telling people that they stand for democracy in Pakistan, while on the other hand they were making ‘frantic’ attempts to strike a deal with the general president. He said deals seekers should be clear about what actually they wanted.

VEHICLE REGISTRATION: Bahawalpur District Nazim Tariq Cheema inaugurated the computerised vehicle registration system here on Saturday.

He said Bahawalpur was the eighth district of Punjab to get the new system, adding that this system would be introduced in another 10 districts of the province this month. He said the system would help curb bogus registration of vehicles and several other complications related to registration.