MULTAN - Punjab Assembly Speaker Rana Muhammad Iqbal Khan has dispatched the reply of a letter sent to him by National Assembly Speaker Fehmida Mirza seeking the former to make two nominations for a 14-member parliamentary commission for the creation of two new provinces in Punjab, The Nation has learnt.
Sources disclosed that the letter was drafted during a high-level meeting held with the PML-N chief Mian Nawaz Sharif in the chair in Raiwind on Sunday night and the Punjab Assembly Speaker took a stance in it that legally he was not bound to nominate the members for the commission.
Keeping in view opposition’s threats to disrupt Punjab Assembly’s Monday proceedings if the names for the proposed commission were not nominated, the Speaker dispatched the letter Sunday night immediately after its drafting before the opening of assembly’s Monday session.
“The letter seeks clarifications from the NA Speaker on different issues like the mandate of the Commission, giving Punjab little representation and taking irrelevant elements on board,” sources added.
Sources revealed the meeting was attended by Punjab CM Shahbaz Sharif, Opposition leader Ch Nisar Ali Khan, Rana Iqbal Ahmad Khan, PA Deputy Speaker Rana Mashhood and Senator Rafiq Rajwana.
The participants reviewed different issues in light of Punjab Assembly’s resolution for creation of new provinces and raised many legal points in the letter. Sources said after the preparation and drafting, the letter was  was sent to the Speaker National Assembly the same night.
The PML-N is being given a three-member representation in the commission on which the party leadership has strong concerns.
The party is of the view that on the one hand MQM and ANP are made members of the commission but on the other hand major stakeholder, the PML-N, is given such a little representation in the commission.