FAISALABAD, June 23: Opposition leader in the Punjab Assembly Qasim Zia has blamed the government for failure in talks over the LFO and other disputes.

Denying the government’s claim that the LFO was a federal matter and there was no justification to raise voice in the provincial assemblies, Mr Zia claimed several sections of the LFO were directly related to the provincial matters. “We will not allow the government to run the affairs of the province as well as the federation by violating the prescribed rules,” he pledged while talking to newsmen here on Sunday night.

He said the opposition had presented during talks with the government a workable agenda which was accepted by Law Minister Raja Basharat and his men. “All was going well till Friday night, as the opposition and representatives of the treasury benches had presented a joint resolution to the speaker. However on Saturday, dictation from the GHQ sabotaged the entire process of dialogues,” he alleged.

He also alleged that the government had been threatening the opposition members for lifting voice against the LFO. A team of NAB and other intelligence agencies had arrested Pir Mukaram Husain, executive director of the Pakistan Printing Corporation, though he had been acquitted by court a few days ago. “In fact, the government wants to stop his wife Farzana, an opposition member, from participating in the anti-government protests in the assembly,” he said.

The PPP leader vowed to continue boycott of the provincial assembly sessions and protest against the government till the acceptance of the opposition members’ demands.

Speaking at a gathering held in connection with Benazir Bhutto’s birthday celebrations at PPP District President Imran Murtaza Khan’s place, he alleged that character assassination of political leaders belonging to the opposition had become a routine in the country.