24 independents find shelter in PML-N
Bureau Report

LAHORE—Twenty-four newly elected members of Punjab Assembly (PA) have announced to join PML-N while 2 MPA of MMAs have assured their support to PML-N. PML-N president Mian Shahbaz Sharif has welcomed these MPAs saying this is first installment of the independent MPAs who have joined PML-N and the second installment will follow soon .
He said this while addressing a press conference at his residence here Tuesday in Model Town along with 24 members of PA who had joined PML-N.
Those who have joined PML-N are Col (Retd) Shujja Khanzada from PP-16 Attock, Chaudhry Muhammad Saqlain from PP-24 Jhelum, Tahir Ahmad Sindhu from PP-30 Sargodha, Malik Muhammad Javed Iqbal Awan from PP-39 Khushab, Karam Elahi Bandial from PP-40 Khushab, Muhammad Asif Malik from PP-41 Khushab, Malik Muhammad Waris Kaloo from PP-42 Khushab, Abdul Hafeez Khan from PP-43 Mianwali, Aamir Hayat Khan Rokhri from PP-44 Mianwali, Muhammad Feeroze Joya from PP-46 Mianwali, Malik Aadil Hussain Itra from PP-50 Bhakkar, Alhaj Muhammad Ilyas Chinioti from PP-73 Jhang, Muhammad Masood Lali from PP-80 Jhang, Iftikhar Ahmad Khan from PP-81 Jhang, Makhdoom Syed Ali Raza Shah from PP-89 Toba Tek Singh, Chaudhry Irfan ud Din from PP-115 Gujarat, Roy Farooq Umar Khan Kharal from PP-185 Okara, Malik Ali Abbas Khokhar from PP-192 Okara, Mian Moin Wattoo from PP-193 Okara, Chaudhry Javed Ahmad advocate from PP-228 Pakpattan, Asif Saeed Minhas from PP-238 Vehari, Malik Jahanzeb from PP-269 Bahawalpur, Mian Muhammad Kazim Ali Pirzada from PP-273 Bahawalpur and Muhammad Safdar Gill from PP-274 Bahawalpur.
Two MPA of MMA including Malik Kaswar Langrial from JUI and Ali Haider Noor Niazi from JUP have also announced to support PML-N. Mian Shahbaz Sharif said 156 members of Punjab assembly are required for any party to form government in the province. “We have 151 members with us. There should be no confusion that PML-N would form a coalition government with PPP at centre and Punjab. Responding to a question he said PML-N had always been condemning politics of coercion, rigging and vendetta and “we still slam them. As far as occupation of Muslim League House was concerned workers had given proposal to Mian Nawaz Sharif for occupation of Muslim League house on the next day of elections but he forbade it strictly.
Almost all the independently elected members who joined the PML-N were present at the press conference. Mian Shahbaz Sharif was flanked by party leaders Ishaq Dar and Khawaja Saad Rafiq.
As the PML-N leader Sardar Zulfiqar Khosa read out their names to the media corps, each member raised his hand to identify his presence turn by turn. Former chief minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif who had earlier been nominated parliamentary leader at a central party meeting in Islamabad a day before, remained short of announcing the name for the slot of Chief Minister Punjab.