The missing VIPs

ISLAMABAD While President Asif Ali Zardari was addressing the joint sitting of Parliament on Monday some VIPs including a Chief Minister and a Governor did not attend the function of the third Presidential address. According to some reports, on the occasion of the Presidential address to a joint sitting of Parliament, the invitations were sent to all the political heads, chief ministers, governors and other VIPS of the country. Most of the invited VIPS attended the function. However from the invited party heads PML-N chief Mian Nawaz Sharrif and Chief of JUI-F Maulana Fazal-ur-Rehman did not attend the Presidential address. It is however reported that Maulana Fazalur Rehman was out of country on official visit, while Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani had especially invited Mian Nawaz Sharif but he did not arrive. CM Punjab Mian Shahbaz Sharif was also among those who did not attend the session while Chief Minister Sindh Qaim Ali Shah, Chief Minister NWFP Ameer Haidar Khan Hoti, Chief Minister Balochistan Nawab Aslam Raisani and CM Gilgit-Baltistan Mehdi Shah all attended the function. From the Governors, Salman Taseer, Nawab Zulfiqar Ali Magsi, Owais Ghani and newly appointed Governor of Gilgit-Baltistan Dr Shama Khalid did attend the function while Governor Sindh Dr. Ishrat Ul Ebad Khan was not seen in the function. Leader of the opposition Ch. Nisar Ali Khan, who was not in the House on April 2 when Mian Raza Rabbani presented the draft of Constitutional Reforms, was also in his seat but the former Chief Minister Punjab Ch Pervez Elahi did not attend the session. Political analysts are of the view that PML-N is going to play a role of real opposition in the Parliament and the flat refusal to rejoin the Federal Cabinet by Mian Nawaz Sharrif and now his absence in the function of Presidential address indicates that PML-N is going to give a hard time to the government in the near future.

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