Nine PPP legislators in Punjab may join PML-N, Imran`s party

Three of PPP legislators in Punjab have resigned and have hinted at joining the main opposition PML-N and Imran Khan`s Tehrik-e-Insaf party.

Lahore: In a setback to Pakistan`s ruling PPP ahead of the 2013 polls, three of its legislators in the most populous province of Punjab have resigned and six others from the region are expected to follow suit and have hinted at joining the main opposition PML-N and Imran Khan`s Tehrik-e- Insaf party.

Legislators Nishat Ahmed Daha, Rana Babar Hussain and Jamil Shah from Khanewal district, Rai Shah Jehan from Nankana Sahib, Kamil Ali Gujjar and Rana Munawar Hussain from Sargodha, Javed Allauddin from Okara and Ahmed Hussain Deharr from Multan have spoken out about their differences with the PPP and hinted at joining the PML-N. Malik Abbas Raan from Multan district has indicated that he will join Imran Khan`s party, calling Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif of the PML-N a "dictator" who "does not respect" his party`s legislators. Three of them - Daha, Babar Hussain and Shah - have already submitted their resignations to the Punjab Assembly Secretariat yesterday. Constituency-related political expediencies are the reasons behind the change of loyalties by the PPP legislators, sources told a news agency. The legislators had also failed to get importance in party affairs and adequate development funds for their constituencies, the sources said. On the other hand, the PPP has questioned why PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif needs "turncoats" to strengthen his party. "What will become of those loyal PML-N workers who had contested against the turncoats of other parties in the last elections? This is unfortunate for our politics," senior PPP leader and legislator Ashraf Sohna said. Haider Zaman Qureshi, another PPP stalwart, said: "We are not worried over the defections. PML-N members who are ignored after accommodating the turncoats will join the PPP. So the equation will remain same and the PML-N will not benefit from this move." PTI