LAHORE: Deciding to approach the opposition leader in the Punjab Assembly for bringing about a change in the provincial government, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) says it has begun its activities in this respect.

“We’ve formally begun our efforts for an in-house change in Punjab [assembly] and the same will be intensified in the days to come. The people will hear good news after Eidul Fitr as more than two dozen legislators of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf are in contact with us,” PPP parliamentary leader Syed Hassan Murtaza said told reporters here on Monday.

PML-N terms it insane

He said the party had already offered the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), being the second-largest party in the house, to bring forward its candidate for the chief minister’s slot.

Mr Murtaza said his party had decided to approach opposition leader Hamza Shehbaz, whose party (PML-N) should announce its nominee for the provincial chief executive’s office, keeping in view its numerical strength in the Punjab Assembly and the PPP would support it.

The PML-N has 165 members against 181 of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf in the 371-strong house. The PPP enjoys the support of only seven MPAs.

Facing corruption and assets beyond income cases in accountability courts, Mr Shehbaz has recently been bailed out.

Recognising the N League’s right to the Punjab chief minister’s slot, Mr Murtaza claimed around 30 members of the ruling PTI were contacting the PPP to express their concern at the deteriorating economic, political and law and order situation in province, and asking why the opposition was not grabbing the opportunity to rid the province of “incompetent” Buzdar government.

The PPP leader asserted the opposition would be held responsible for the destruction of Punjab if it did not act against the rulers now.

PML-N vice-president Maryam Nawaz Sharif has already rejected a regime change offer in Punjab. She claims the PPP had offered to orchestrate a change in the province and install Punjab Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Parvez Elahi as chief minister, whose party PML-Q has 10 lawmakers.

The PML-N fears that as chief minister Mr Elahi will not only be more docile to the establishment than Mr Buzdar, but also work to make inroads into the N League.

Meanwhile, Punjab PML-N leader Ataullah Tarar has termed Mr Murtaza’s statement about a change in Punjab after Eid non-serious.

“He (Mr Murtaza) should have made public the procedure for such a change,” he says, adding that in the current political scenario the gap of numerical strength between the ruling alliance (PTI, PML-Q, Rah-e-Haq, and four independent MPAs) and the opposition comprising PML-N and PPP in the provincial house cannot be bridged.

He reminded the PPP that the N-League had emerged as the single-largest party in Punjab in the 2018 elections, but sugar baron Jehangir Khan Tareen’s plane was used to transport independent candidates to Bani Gala residence of Prime Minister Imran Khan for luring them to the PTI.

Published in Dawn, March 30th, 2021