LAHORE, Dec 12: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz says it will not allow postponement of polls even for a moment what to talk of a whole year as sought by the PML-Q.

“Seeing PML-Q results in the by-polls, Chaudhry Shujaat must have a strong desire to postpone the general election forever but the PML-N would not tolerate any such attempt even for a single moment,” Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah said while briefing the press gallery committee about the 43rd session of the Punjab Assembly starting from Thursday (today).

He warned of a “very strong” public reaction if any attempt was made to delay the polls.

He said the bye-elections exposed “shallow” claims of PPP central Punjab head Manzoor Watto and allied ruling parties.

Referring to rigging allegations, the minister said not the PML-N or the Punjab government but “the masses rigged the polls against the PPP and PML-Q”.

He cautioned the alliance ruling in the centre that the same fate awaited it in the general elections.

To a question about Kalabagh dam, the minister categorically said the water reservoir was not more important than the country itself, adding the federal government should develop a consensus on the project through the Council of Common Interests and other forums.

He said the Punjab Assembly had adopted resolutions in favour of the dam more than once and the house still believed it (KBD) was the best project to resolve country’s water and energy problem. “We don’t want any rivalry with other provinces on the issue,” he said.

Rana Sana told a questioner that the provincial government did pay millions of rupees to the relatives of Justice Khalilur Rehman Ramday and Justice Khwaja Sharif against their counseling services in various cases.

About the police encounters, he said 364 encounters had been reported during the ongoing year so far, claiming lives of 25 policemen. He claimed judicial inquiry was conducted into each police encounter and action was initiated against the guilty officials in nine cases.

The minister said the session would continue for two weeks and predicted that last parliamentary sitting of the incumbent house would be held in February and March. Two bills regarding universities, besides several reports about performance of various provincial departments would be tabled during the session starting from tomorrow.

Denying that huge expenses were incurred on Punjab Assembly members, he said the legislators consumed “just over Rs2 billion” during the last four years.