LAHORE - PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif has decided to have close contacts with the party legislators and leaders all over the country to know their reservations and address them.

Sources in the party say after the resignation of eight lawmakers from South Punjab to launch a campaign for a separate province and at least four others, the PML-N leadership is on the guard to control the damage and prevent any further defection. It is a dominant thought in the party that the current wave of change of heart by the party members is not on their volition, but they are being forced from the outside forces. An indication to this effect has also been made by Nawaz Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz and others.

The defection of the eight members and at least four others is a clear indication to the fault lines which have begun to damage the party when the general elections are just a few months away. Independent sources on this score say that a commotion existed underneath the apparent composed and quiet situation in the PML-N as different groups which traditionally existed have become active taking advantage of divide at the top in the party. They say the party Quaid and the president have different stances regarding relations with the institutions and their divergence of views is becoming a factor to keep the members in a fix and worry of their political future. The support of PTI, PPP and JI for the South Punjab province has augmented this situation, they add.

Sources say PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif does not want any more flight of the members from the party in a situation when he is already making efforts to reunite leaders like Ch Nisar Ali Khan.

They say the party legislators from South Punjab genuinely repine over lack of basic facilities below the minimum standard in their region. The other vulnerable elements are those who had joined the party after winning the May 2013 elections as independents. As such the party president is paying attention to South Punjab in the first instance although he has also planned to visit all the provinces to hear the party members about their grievances personally.

Chief Minister and PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif yesterday chaired a meeting of the assembly members from Khanewal, Rajanpur, Bahawalpur, Layyah and other districts and took them into confidence on the demand for South Punjab province.

The chief minister told the members that the PML-N had presented two resolutions in the Punjab Assembly for the restoration of defunct province of Bahawalpur as well as South Punjab. This is a credit to the PML-N, he said. He claimed that during PML-N’s tenure, unprecedented development was made in the rural and urban areas of South Punjab. He said from 2008 to 2013, 27.5 percent of the development budget was given to South Punjab by the PML-N government. He added 10 percent quota has been fixed for South Punjab in Apna Rozgar and every scheme of the Punjab government. He affirmed scholarship amount has been increased from Rs 200 to Rs 1,000 for girl students of public-sector schools of South Punjab.

Among others who attended the meeting were Federal Minister Mian Riaz Hussain Pirzada, Sardar Awais Ahmed Khan Leghari, Baligh-ur-Rehman, Abdur Rehman Khan Kanju, Senator Saud Majeed, Punjab Assembly Deputy Speaker Sardar Sher Ali Gorchani, provincial ministers Rana Mashhood Ahmed Khan, Malik Muhammad Ahmed Khan, National Assembly members Dr Hafeez-ur-Rehman Dareskh, Aslam Bodla, Ifitikhar Nazir, Sardar Asif Hussain Mazari, Sahibzada Faiz-ul-Hassan, Syed Muhammad Saqlain Shah Bukhari and Mian Najeeb-ud-Din Awais, MPAs Mian Kazim Ali Pirzada, Aamir Hayat Hiraj, Ch Karamdad Wahlah, Irfan Khan Daha and the party leader, Ahmed Ali Aulakh.

Aslam Bodla said he will help the party and support its policies. Muhammad Sultan Mehmood Hanjra, Sardar Muhammad Amjad Farooq Khosa, Ashiq Hussain Gopang, Siddique Khan Baloch, Mian Najeeb Awaisi, Saeed Ahmed Khan Manis, Sajid Mehdi, Tehmina Doltana, Javed Ali Shah, Arshad Khan Leghari, Sheikh Fiaz ud Din and Mian Imtiaz Ahmed supported the party policies and gave different proposals.

Alamdad Lalika, speaking on this occasion, said he is with PML-N and reposed his confidence in the leadership of PML-N. Sardar Atif Khan Leghari said Shehbaz Sharif has won the hearts of the people by working round the clock in the calamity-stricken areas during floods. Ch Karamdad Wahlah, Nagma Mushtaq Lang, Rana Ijaz Ahmed Noon, Malik Mazhar Abbas Raan, Mian Muhammad Kazim Ali Pirzada, Aamir Hayat Hiraj, Muhammad Zeeshan Gorchani, Mir Badshah Qaiserani, Malik Ahmed Ali Aulakh and Deewan Ashiq congratulated Shehbaz Sharif on his election as the PML-N president. They said relief was given to the farmers in the shape of urea and electricity and farm-to-market construction of roads.

Shehbaz Sharif appreciated and welcomed the recommendations and proposals of the assembly members. The chief minister also asked the assembly members about other development projects and programmes for the welfare of the people.

The chief minister said the PML-N government had allocated billions of rupees for the progress and prosperity of South Punjab. During the current fiscal year, 36 percent of the ADP is being spent on South Punjab, he added. He affirmed development projects worth Rs 229 billion are being completed in that part of the Punjab during the current fiscal year. He said the PML-N was committed to the demand of creation of new provinces.

Shehbaz Sharif said he is always with the people of South Punjab and disclosed Fort Munro is being developed by the government as a tourist spot.