MUZAFFARGARH: The PML-N got a shock on Sunday when its dissident MPA from Khanewal’s Jahania area, Faisal Akram Niazi, tendered his resignation from the membership of the provincial assembly.

Niazi presented his resignation to Speaker Chaudhry Parvez Elahi. His resignation will strengthen the PTI camp in the ongoing fight in the province after the de-seating of 25 PTI MPAs. He was elected MPA from PP-209 Khanewal-7 on the PML-N ticket and later in 2019, he joined a forward bloc along with late Nishat Daha and other members at the request of then chief minister Usman Buzdar. Faisal Niazi stated in his resignation that he was resigning from the Punjab Assembly with his willingness and conscience. He added that long ago he had left the PML-N, and now he has no political affiliation with the party.

Speaker Elahi said that the first resignation has landed, and more members of the PML-N will resign in the coming days.

The public in Khanewal said that the area had more PML-N voters, so Niazi’s decision was strange. His provincial constituency falls under NA-153, from where the panel of the PML-N had defeated the rivals. A by-election in the district for PP-206 saw the defeat of the then ruling PTI candidate, the widow of late Nishat Khan Daha. During the Buzdar tenure, Niazi carried out development projects.

Published in Dawn, May 23rd, 2022