PPP to form Punjab govt after defeating PML-N

Pakistan People’s Party Punjab President and Federal Minister for Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, Manzoor Wattoo on Friday said the PPP will form the next Punjab government by defeating the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) with the support of its coalition partners. Addressing a luncheon arranged in the honor of journalists at a local hotel, Wattoo said there were no differences between the PPP and the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid-e-Azam (PML-Q), while adding that mutual discussion for seat adjustment with the PML-Q for the general elections was in progress. He said President Asif Ali Zardari always followed the code of conduct and the party would finalize a strategy about the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) directions for the president regarding his political activities. Wattoo said the party workers welcomed him warmly while the opposition was confused about his nomination as PPP Punjab president. He said he would never respond to Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah or the Sharif brothers as he believed in the continuity of democracy in the country. He also welcomed positive criticism from the media on political parties and the governments. Criticizing the Punjab government on constructing metro bus system, he said the provincial government had spent Rs 70 billion on one road and had completely ignored the destroyed road network across the province. He said it was the responsibility of the provincial government to look after health, transport and education systems, but it seemed that every department had to be overhauled after failing on several occasions. He appealed to the Supreme Court (SC) to take suo motu notice of such programs which were against public interest including spending of Rs 70 billion on a single project in the provincial capital. The minister said that the PPP was the only party which had sacrificed lives for democracy. He said the PPP was the only representative party of workers and labor class in the country. He further said price control was the responsibility of the provincial government and it had so far failed to control the prices of basic commodities. Wattoo said the PPP was supporting millions of families without any discretion through the Benazir Income Support Program (BISP). To a question, he said the PPP was ready to finalize the accountability bill, but the PML-N was not sitting down with the PPP to resolve the issue. To another question, he said the government would take a decision based on the statement of the PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif in which he had accepted the Federal Investigating Agency’s (FIA) role in the investigation. PPP Punjab General Secretary Tanvir Ashraf Kaira, former secretary general Azizur Rehman Chan, Special Assistant to Prime Minister Aslam Gill and PPP Lahore General Secretary Zekria Butt were also present.