LAHORE - Pakistan Muslim League leader and MNA Moonis Elahi called on Governor Punjab Ch Muhammad Sarwar at the Governor’s House here Tuesday to discuss collation matters.
Tuesday’s meeting was in continuation of a series of previous meetings held last month to thrash out issues between the two coalition partners.
Sarwar reportedly told Moonis Elahi that government would take all allied parties along and the process of contacts and consultation will continue.
Following a similar meeting last month the Governor had told the media that the PTI would address PML-Q’s grievances in an amicable He had then also termed the difference among the political allies a norm across the world. He had also stated that Ch Parvez Elahi was a political wizard and the two parties will lead the present alliance prudently into the next general elections.
Sarwar tells Moonis government will take allies on board
The PML-Q is seeking its due share in the ministries at the federal level as the Government is still showing reluctance to induct Moonis Elahi into the federal cabinet. The PML-Q also wants the PTI government to take its coalition partner into confidence over important decisions. This, it believes, requires constancy in consultations over key issues and sharing of information on important matters. Besides, the PML-Q also wants its say in matters of postings and transfers of senior officers in the four districts having representation of its lawmakers in the National and Punjab Assemblies.
PML-Q leadership believes that political alliances between the coalition partners are always conditional and the major coalition partner must honour its commitments made with the smaller ally.
State land to be leased out via open auction, says law minister
Minister for Local Government, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Basharat Raja has said the state land occupied by 150 petrol pumps in Punjab would be leased out via open auction and transparently to earn maximum revenue. According to a handout, the minister was presiding over a meeting held on Tuesday to review the proposed policy framework for disposal of leased state lands across Punjab. The meeting was also attended among others by the ministers Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed, Mian Aslam Iqbal, Raja Yasir Hamyun, Muhammad Sibtain Khan, Malik Nauman Ahmad Langrial, Hafiz Mumtaz Ahmad, Senior Member Board of Revenue (SMBR), Secretary Law and other officers.
The meeting was apprised of the amended policy by SMBR who explained that about 2.18 Lac Acre state-land was leased out to 75000 to 80000 families since years for agriculture purpose. He said that the lease agreement was required to either extend or end with the sale of land to the cultivator.
He suggested that if the government would opt to sale out the land, it might bring billions of rupees to the government. The house decided for further discussions on this matter and advised the SMBR to come up with new proposed rates and suggestions in next meeting. The Minister for Law assured that the state lands would be auctioned through Privatization Board Punjab under law. It was also decided that the private housing schemes occupying state land in form of water courses, public ways or ponds would be given option to either provide the alternative land of similar cost to the Punjab Government or deposit its cost in accordance with the prevailing market price.
