PML-Q minister concerned over ‘apathetic’ attitude of CM Secretariat

LAHORE:It seems that PTI does not bother much now about its major coalition partner in Punjab and Centre, PML-Q, in whose ranks resentments are constantly on the rise against the present government.

Sources have revealed that one of the PML-Q ministers, Bau Muhammad Rizwan, who is currently holding the portfolio of Environment in Punjab, has conveyed his concerns to his leadership over the apathetic attitude of the Chief Minister Secretariat and lack of cooperation in his ministry by the officials of his department. Bau Rizwan, who has returned to the Punjab Assembly for the third term, was inducted in the cabinet early this year. Already, in the beginning of this year, Hafiz Ammar Yasir, a minister elected on PML-Q ticket, had resigned over the complaints related to his ministry and blamed the Chief Minister Secretariat for meddling in the affairs related to his department. However, that issue was sorted out when Naeem-ul-Haq, Special Assistant of the prime minister, himself visited the Chaudhrys and vowed to address the concern of PML-Q, the main ally of PTI in Punjab, which has a strength of 10 MPAs in the House of 371. PTI, a party with 179 MPAs in the House, lacks 7 votes to prove its simple majority in PA which it meets with the help of PML-Q. Almost similar situation prevails in National Assembly where PML-Q and MQM with nearly a dozen seats together are serving as the allies of the PTI government.

Sources stated that Bau Rizwan has conveyed his multiple complaints to the party leadership and even threatened that he would not remain silent and speak of his heart in public if his concerns were not addressed. The key reason for the resentment of the PML-Q minister is the ‘no-response’ from the CM office regarding his request for a meeting with Chief Minister Usman Buzdar. A senior party leader said that for four months, the minister has been unable to call on the chief minister which sounds very insulting for a cabinet member. Similarly, the said minister, who was elected on PML-Q ticket from PP-41, is also seriously disturbed over the treatment being meted out to him. It was revealed that during the recent visit of Chief Minister Usman Buzdar, the said cabinet member, who is the only PML-Q MPA elected from that district was not even informed about this visit. Moreover, at the same time, another thing which annoyed him further was the distribution of Health Cards in the district and his constituency from a person whom he defeated in the last general elections. Bau Rizwan, while conveying his concerns to the party leadership, also said that neither any development fund was released for him nor he was made part of any consultation process related to the development or any other initiative taken by the government in his constituency. He also conveyed that the PTI government in Punjab was promoting a person who suffered defeat by his hands and stood at number four just because he belonged to Tehreek-e-Insaf. This is noteworthy that already the PTI has paid no heed to its promise of inducting Chaudhry Moonis Elahi in the Federal Cabinet, a commitment that was made with the PML-Q in February this year. Bau Rizwan, when contacted for his comments on the issue, said: “Neither I deny nor confirm it,” and refused to comment further. The PTI leadership, however, still believes there existed harmony between the two sides and leaders from both parties were regularly in contact with each other. Punjab Information Minister Mian Aslam Iqbal, when contacted, said there existed good working relationship between PTI and PML-Q. To a question about the complaints raised by a cabinet member over being ignored by the CM office, he said this was not true as no one was being ignored.