LAHORE, July 5: In a tit-for-tat response, the ruling Pakistan Muslim League has managed to break one of Pakistan People’s Party’s sitting member of the Punjab Assembly, Ehsan Elahi, a former army major, from Mandi Bahauddin.

In the last week of June, the PPP had wooed into its folds one ruling Muslim Leaguer of the provincial assembly, Fazal Ahmad Ranjha, from the same district. Besides, two other sitting treasury members of the provincial assembly, Khalid Mahmood Chohan from Vehari and Dr Tasnim Rashid, elected on a special seat for women, from Jaranwala, had also defected to the PPP.

With Ehsan Elahi’s defection, 21 members of the provincial assembly belonging to the PPP have crossed over to the ruling camp since the current assembly was sworn in more than four-and-a-half years ago.

An official handout issued on Thursday said PPP leader Chaudhry Liaquat Khan had also defected to the ruling party. The two defectors called on Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi before announcing their decision to join the government.

The handout quoted them as saying that they were joining the government because they were deeply impressed with its development strategy. —Staff Reporter