LAHORE, Aug 26: The opposition (PPP) threatens that it will not allow the Punjab Assembly speaker to run the house proceedings smoothly if he does not nominate within 24 hours two members to the National Commission on New Provinces.

The two-week assembly session is scheduled to start at 3pm on Monday (today).

PPP deputy parliamentary leader in Punjab Assembly Shaukat Basra said in a statement here on Sunday that Speaker Rana Muhammad Iqbal had not yet sent names of two MPAs to the National Assembly speaker required to complete the parliamentary commission on new provinces.

He said if Rana Iqbal did not make the nominations within 24 hours (before start of the PA session on Monday), they would protest and block proceedings of the house.

The parliamentary panel had been formed on a presidential reference followed by resolutions passed by the bicameral parliament as well as the Punjab Assembly calling for creating new provinces in Punjab and elsewhere if need be.

The panel comprised 14 members -- six each from the Senate and National Assembly and two from the Punjab Assembly.

The PML-N ruling Punjab is opposed to composition of the commission as well as its terms of reference. It wants exclusion of representatives of the parties having no representation in Punjab and demands that the province should be given more representation in the body as well as including creation of provinces in other federating units too, where there is public demand for it or it is needed on administrative grounds.

Basra said the PML-N had been exposed following its foot dragging on the nominations on the commission formed on its own resolution. He said the Sharifs had moved the resolution to seek cheap publicity and to please their electorate.

He alleged that the Punjab government wanted to deprive the people of south Punjab of their due right.