LAHORE: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has threatened not to allow functioning of the elected houses if attempts are made to carve forward bloc(s) out of it in the centre or in Punjab.

“If attempts are made to break into the party for creating forward bloc whether in the National Assembly or Punjab Assembly we’ll forcefully resist and won’t allow the assemblies to discharge their functions,” PML-N MNA Rana Sanaullah Khan told the media after a meeting of the party elders here on Tuesday.

The meeting discussed the party strategy for the presidential polls as well as their line of action for the party’s role on the opposition benches in both the houses. It also discussed placing of party supremo Nawaz Sharif and his daughter’s name on the exit control list (ECL).

The former Punjab law minister said they believed that giving a joint candidate for the president election by the opposition would become inevitable and that this unity could lead to possible defeat of the ruling alliance’s nominee.

He said the meeting expressed its concern on the “political victimization” of the incarcerated party leaders as the federal cabinet in its maiden meeting placed the names of Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz on the ECL instead of initiating action against Pervez Musharraf declared a proclaimed offender in the treason case.

He lamented that accused in Rs27 billion corruption case Babar Awan had been made a federal minister contrary to the claims the PTI government was making for introducing corruption-free governance.

Responding to a query, he said that Hamza Shahbaz would be opposition leader in the Punjab Assembly and he won’t be replaced by any other party stalwart for the position.

He alleged that Imran Khan became prime minister through a bogus mandate and the PML-N emerged as the second largest party in National Assembly and largest in the Punjab Assembly in July 25 vote despite all pre- and polling-day rigging.

He said that the N League had accepted to sit on opposition benches only for the cause of democracy.

MPA Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan said that the nomination of the Punjab chief minister carried a question mark as Mr Buzdar was selected against the so-called merit enunciated by Imran Khan.

Published in Dawn, August 22nd, 2018