LAHORE, Feb 15: The Punjab Assembly speaker on Tuesday accepted identity of the Unification Bloc of disgruntled PML-Q MPAs, agreed to allot them seats in the house separate from their parent party and recognised Dr Tahir Ali Javed as their parliamentary leader.

The bloc submitted to Rana Muhammad Iqbal an application signed by 47 MPAs on Feb 3, seeking a status in the house separate from the PML-Q and accepting Dr Javed as its parliamentary leader.

The step decreases strength of the PML-Q from 84 to 33, as lawmaker Hamid Nasir Chattha has already parted ways with the party.

Speaker Rana Iqbal says he acted under Rule 1 of Chapter II of the Rules of Procedure that reads: “The member shall sit in the house in such order as the speaker may determine.”

The decision has not only irritated the PML-Q sitting on opposition benches but also PPP, junior partner of the ruling coalition, PPP. Both parties are considering taking the matter to court.

The PPP, having seven ministries in the provincial cabinet, fears the decision is a step towards disbanding the coalition in case the federal government fails to implement 10-point agenda floated by the PML-N, senior partner in the Punjab coalition. The 45-day deadline for the agenda ends on February 24.

The PPP fears are not that far fetched as the PML-N had discussed in its recent meeting that at least it would have to break out of the partnership if the PPP did not act. Sources in the PML-N say the party chief has made up his mind about getting rid of the PPP before going to the polls.

Apparently, Nawaz Sharif and his younger brother Shahbaz Sharif, who is also Punjab chief minister, are not on the same page on the PPP issue and absence of the latter from the party’s last two important meetings in this regard gives credence to PPP claims that for the sake of his repute the chief minister does not want to take along the turncoats (Unification Bloc).

Opposition leader and PML-Q provincial secretary Chaudhry Zaheeruddin says he wonders how the speaker can infringe upon the rights of political parties’ leadership and appoint parliamentary leader of a particular party at his own discretion.

Pledging to challenge the ‘black’ decision in a court of law, he says in no other house of the country any parliamentary leader has been nominated by its presiding officer.

“Appointing parliamentary leader of those elected on PML-Q tickets is the sole prerogative of party’s Punjab president Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi and he has already posted me to the office under the law and the Constitution,” he argues, adding that “there cannot be two parliamentary leaders of a party”.

He asserts the bloc’s application for recognition of Dr Javed as parliamentary leader is in fact a written declaration of parting with the party and forming a new one that is “unconstitutional” and “illegal”. He announced the party would issue show-cause notices to bloc members and send references to the Election Commission for their disqualification.

PPP parliamentary leader and senior minister Raja Riaz described the speaker’s decision as an attempt to sabotage the dialogue process going on with the chief minister for better working of the government.

Refusing to support the “undemocratic” step, he warned that any member of the PPP could take the issue to court. He said the party’s central leadership would take a final decision on it.