LAHORE, March 3: PML-N president Shahbaz Sharif, who is also the party’s candidate for the slot of Punjab chief minister, has said that all members in the coalition government formed in the province would be consulted while making vital decisions.

Speaking at a reception hosted by MNA-elect Khwaja Saad Rafiq for the 24 MPAs-elect, who won the Feb 18 polls as independent candidates but later joined the PML-N, Sharif said that important decisions about government formation would be taken at a joint parliamentary parties’ meeting of the PML-N, PPP, PML-F and MMA to be held here on March 8.

The independent MPAs-elect, who were present included former Punjab Assembly deputy speaker Sardar Shaukat Hussain Mazari, who earlier called on Sharif at the latter's residence to announce his joining the party, raising the number of independents going with the PML-N to 24.

"It's a promise of the leadership that it won't be behind anyone as far as hard work, honesty and uprightness are concerned," Sharif told the participants calling for hard work by all to steer the province out of the mess it was confronted with.

Assuring the new entrants that their status would be considered as equal to that of old guards in the party, he invited them all to participate in the March 8 meeting. A five-star hotel on The Mall has been selected as the venue for the event.

Sharif said there might not be unanimity of views on many issues in the coalition, but asserted that all differences could be somehow solved provided there was sincerity of thought.

He promised education and health facilities for all as well as elimination of spurious pesticides and drugs from the province after taking charge as chief executive of the Punjab province.

He regretted that with Rs150 billion annual development plan, the former rulers accomplished no worthwhile task and indeed wasted most of the funds in projecting their personalities. The masses rejected the former ruling party for its corruption and “impure” intentions, he alleged.

Promising an end to victimisation, Sharif said he would look back at the past only to learn a lesson from the mistakes made earlier. He lauded the new entrants for their joining the PML-N unconditionally.

Sardar Zulfiqar Khosa, Ahsan Iqbal, Rana Sanaullah, Pervaiz Malik, Zaeem Qadri, Khwaja Ahmad Hassaan and Khwaja Amer Reza were prominent among those who attended the reception.

Meanwhile, PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif said the party will leave no stone unturned to solve the problems being faced by the people of the province.

Talking to media at his Defence residence on Monday where former Punjab Assembly deputy speaker Sardar Shaukat Husain Mazari elected as an independent candidate from PP-250, Rajanpur, announced joining the PML-N, Sharif said he had already served the masses as the chief minister and it was his regime that the people of the province still remembered for the development and progress ensured under his leadership.

Sharif spent a busy day holding detailed meetings with MPAs-elect of the party from across the province.

Foreign envoys, including Indian and British diplomats, also called on him.

Sharif took into confidence party leaders about the formation of coalition government in the province and discussed issues relating to the joint parliamentary meeting scheduled for March 8.

He made it clear that a healthy working relationship among all the supporters of the government would be ensured.

He asked the elected members to gear up their activities with the best planning to ensure maximum provision of the basic facilities to the people.

He also made it clear that the next government would have to work hard for justifying the mandate the masses had given them rejecting policies of the former rulers.