LAHORE, June 8: Opposition members set up a camp opposite the main entrance to the Punjab Assembly building against what they called `indifferent attitude’ of their peers in the treasury who had yet not notified appointment of the leader of the opposition.

PML-Q’s Punjab secretary Chaudhry Zaheeruddin Khan, a former provincial minister who aspires to become opposition leader, told journalists that the opposition waited for two months for the issuance of notification and that they would not attend the assembly session and continue the protest till the acceptance of their demand.

He claimed an application, bearing the signature of 48 MPAs, was submitted to Speaker Rana Iqbal Khan for the appointment of opposition leader in the Punjab Assembly. “There is no justification for not issuing the notification in spite of passage of two months or so,” he added amid slogans raised in favour of the demand by his fellow MPAs.

PML-Q had already announced that it would boycott the proceedings of the Punjab Assembly session called for the election of the chief minister. The opposition members started gathering on the footpath around the Summit Minar around 10am and continued raising slogans in support of their demand while standing under the sun. Later, they were provided chairs and a tent was erected nearby.

Treasury members tried twice to convince the opposition to end the protest and settle the issue on the floor of the house, but to no avail.

Quoting Speaker Rana Iqbal, minister Rana Sanaullah told journalists that the notification would be issued after he (speaker) got convinced that Chaudhary Zaheer enjoyed support of a majority of the opposition members.

Rana Sana claimed another group of the PML-Q was also active to get someone else appointed opposition leader. “The group has also submitted another application, bearing signatures of 36 members of PML-Q.

He said some nine PML-Q members who were included in the list presented by Chaudhary Zaheer had contacted the speaker by phone and informed him that they were forced to sign the application. “Confusion is there. How the speaker can fulfill the unjustified demand of the opposition members. The speaker would decide the matter after analysing the facts in due course of time,” he argued.

Soon after commencement of the PA session, starting two hours late than its scheduled time of 10am, the outgoing chief minister, Dost Muhammad Khosa, requested the chair on a point of order that a committee be constituted to bring the opposition members back.

Comprising Ashraf Sohna, Tanveer Kaira, Rana Mashhood Ahmad Khan, Dr Asad Ashraf and Raja Riaz, the committee members went outside and after a while informed the chair that the opposition members were not there.