Raja Riaz, PPP
PPP leader and senior provincial minister Raja Riaz. — File photo

LAHORE: The Pakistan People's Party (PPP) on Thursday threatened to approach the courts regarding the allotment of seats to the Unification bloc, DawnNews reported.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) reportedly decided to remove PPP ministers from the Punjab government.

The PML-N also decided to assign two ministries to members of the Unification Bloc.

PPP leader and senior provincial minister Raja Riaz on Thursday said the PML-N's decision to ally with the Unification bloc was illegal and unconstitutional.

After meeting with Speaker Punjab Assembly Rana Iqbal, Riaz told reporters that the PPP will not table a no-confidence motion in the Assembly after parting ways with the Punjab government.

He further said that the future political strategy in Punjab will be decided by the PPP's top leadership.

He said that although the PML-N had always insisted on the federal government to make quick decisions regarding the Charter of Democracy (CoD) and the 18th Amendment, it deferred its own responsibilities on the next election.

Riaz said all political parties were against this measure of the PML-N.

It is pertinent to mention that on February 15 the Punjab Assembly speaker accepted the identity of the Unification Bloc and agreed to allot them seats in the house separate from their parent party and recognised Dr Tahir Ali Javed as their parliamentary leader.

Following the Unification Bloc’s recognition, provincial ministers belonging to the PPP  said it would be a disaster for the PML-N if it joined hands with new “commercial partners” of the PML-Q’s Unification Bloc.

The PPP is a junior coalition partner in the Punjab government spearheaded by chief minister Shahbaz Sharif of the PML-N after the 2008 general elections and there have been peaks and troughs in the three-year life of the alliance. The allocation of separate seats to the 47-strong Unification Bloc is being seen as yet another blow to the fragile political union by the senior partner.

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