LAHORE: As PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif continued consulting the party cadre about the future of the coalition with the PPP in Punjab, a war of words broke out between the possibly outgoing and incoming coalition partners at the Punjab Assembly premises here on Thursday.At the party’s office in Model Town, PML-N workers from Bahawalpur, Dera Ghazi Khan and Gilgit-Baltistan urged their leadership not to extend talks with the PPP on the 10-point reforms agenda beyond the Feb 24 deadline and disband the coalition in Punjab. Similar views were expressed by workers from other parts of the country.

Leaders of the PPP and PML-Q’s unification bloc met the Punjab Assembly speaker to register their points of view regarding the allocation of separate seats to the bloc. They also criticised each other during their media talk outside the provincial assembly.

Raja Riaz, PPP’s parliamentary leader in the Punjab Assembly and senior minister, urged Speaker Rana Muhammad Iqbal to withdraw his decision of allocating separate seats to the unification bloc. He termed the decision unconstitutional and illegal, vowing to challenge it in court.

Raja Riaz also sought a copy of the notification about allocation of seats, but the speaker turned down the request, saying it was his discretion whether or not to issue the copy of any notification.

The speaker said he had allocated seats to Dr Tahir Ali Javed, leader of the unification bloc, and his colleagues on the basis of their majority (within the PML-Q) and that his act, in no way, was illegal or unconstitutional.

Rana Iqbal told reporters that Dr Javed and others had approached him from the platform of Muslim League and not from any forward or unification bloc to request for separate seats as they desired to sit on the treasury benches. He was of the opinion that members of any parliamentary party could decide whether to sit on treasury or opposition benches. “My decision of granting separate seats is within the very bounds of law and parliamentary traditions.”

The speaker said that although he was not legally bound, he would provide a copy of the notification to Raja Riaz soon.

In reply to a question, Raja Riaz said his party had no plan to move a no-trust motion against Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, but added that “wrongdoings” of the provincial government would be exposed while sitting on the opposition benches.

Dr Tahir Javed termed the PPP-PML-N alliance unnatural and asked the PPP ministers to show grace and resign from the Punjab cabinet before the PML-N itself shunted them out.