PTI's disgruntled Punjab MPAs 'stand ground' as Senate poll nears.

Byline: Mansoor Malik

LAHORE -- Chief Minister Usman Buzdar and the PTI as well as PML-Q candidates for the Senate discussed on Monday the election strategy in a meeting wherein the candidates were asked to identify MPAs groups who would vote for them. Each candidate requires 46 votes for his election as senator from Punjab.

The CM has directed the provincial ministers to coordinate with the PTI and PML-Q candidates to finalise four sets of MPAs who would vote for the candidates.

However, the Punjab government has reportedly not yet been able to resolve reservations of the disgruntled elements within the party. The disgruntled elements claim that their number was rapidly increasing as more MPAs are expressing their reservations about Buzdar-led government's inability to control corruption and ensure good governance.

The disgruntled group has planned yet another meeting for Wednesday (tomorrow) to give a tough time to the PTI government.

CM claims support of annoyed elements; discusses election strategy with candidates

PTI Senate candidates Saifullah Niazi, Ejaz Chaudhry, Aon Abbas Bappi and PML-Q candidate Kamil Ali Agha as well as PTI Senate candidates for women and technocrat seats, Dr Zarqa Taimoor and Barrister Sayyed Ali Zafar, met the CM.

Senior Minister Abdul Aleem Khan, Law Minister Basharat Raja and Chief Whip in Punjab Assembly Syed Abbas Ali Shah also attended the meeting.

Sources say the candidates told the CM that the set of PTI MPAs would be divided in such a manner that the south Punjab MPAs would vote for Aon Abbas Bappi, the candidate from the region, while the north Punjab MPAs would vote for Saifullah Niazi and other MPAs would vote for Ejaz Chaudhry, who is from the central Punjab. The meeting also decided that all PML-Q MPAs would vote for Kamil Ali Agha and the remaining number for 46 votes would be offered by the PTI MPAs.

The sources say the meeting discussed the matter of...