LAHORE: Punjab’s Senior Minister Raja Riaz Ahmad demanded Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif to fulfil his commitments with the coalition partner Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) on its 19-point agenda emphasising constitution of a committee to implement the proposed suggestions.Riaz, who is a parliamentary leader of PPP in the Punjab Assembly, while talking to journalists on Friday, said that Shahbaz should fulfil his commitments with him on the 19-point agenda and enable the committee to implement his party’s suggestions as he had already given assurance to him during a meeting at the 90-Shahrah, a week ago.Reacting strongly to the remarks of the provincial law minister and Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) leader Rana Sanaullah, the PPP’s minister said that the 19-point agenda given by his party was not a joke and it was unfortunate if it was not being taken seriously by some. “Those who were not taking the agenda seriously should reconsider their believes,” he added.When he was asked about rumours that PML-N-led government in Punjab was going to expel its coalition partner PPP from the government in the upcoming week, Riaz said that they were ready for it and they would go to Data Darbar to offer a ‘prayer of thanks’.
He further stated that if Shahbaz Sharif’s government did such a thing then his party could ask him to take a vote of confidence from the House, as he would lose the majority after PPP’s separation from the government.Commenting on the issue of allotment of separate seats to Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) Unification Group in the assembly, Speaker Rana Iqbal Ahmad Khan said that after this development, Shahbaz Sharif was once again going to encourage ‘Changa Manga Politics’ as he did in his previous term.Asking the PML-N leadership to avoid moves which encourage a ‘politics of turncoat’ in Punjab, Riaz demanded the CM to ask the speaker to take back his decision of allotment of separate seats to the Unification Group, and termed it unconstitutional and illegal – Dailytimes
