PML-N govt rattled by differences over ministries

LAHORE: The PML-N as well as Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz who had been blaming President Dr Arif Alvi and former governor Omar Sarfraz Cheema for a delay in formation of the cabinet are now showing no urgency in this respect after the issues related to ‘important portfolios’ cropped up within the party as well as with its coalition partner, the PPP.

“Which portfolio is given to whom – is the main issue the PMLN-PPP coalition in Punjab is facing regarding the formation of the cabinet,” a PML-N insider says while talking to Dawn.

In the PML-N, he adds, the party’s vice-president Maryam Nawaz wants to have her say in formation of the cabinet, especially in allocating portfolios.

“For example, Ms Nawaz wants information ministry for Azma Bokhari but both father and son (Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief Minister Hamza Shahbaz) have their favourite, Attaullah Tarar, for the slot.”

Matter reaches Nawaz for final say after consultation with Zardari

Similarly, he says, the PPP with seven seats in the Punjab Assembly is interested in two portfolios of the finance and communication & works but the junior Sharif wants to keep them within his party.

Soon after assuming the charge of the office on May 31, Governor Balighur Rehman administered oath to a ‘tiny eight-member’ cabinet of Hamza. Although Rana Iqbal, Atta Tarar, Awais Leghari, Malik Ahmad Khan, Khwaja Salman Rafique and Bilal Asghar of the PML-N and Hasan Murtaza and Ali Gilani of the allied PPP have become ministers, they are yet to be given portfolios, thus leaving them lobbying for the ministries of their choice. Interestingly, Salman Rafique has started chairing meetings in the health department, anticipating the health portfolio for himself as he remained the health minister in the previous Shehbaz cabinet. The PPP’s Murtaza has made claims to be the senior minister.

Atta Tarar, who is very close to the PM and the CM, acts as the ‘de facto CM,’ according to many within the party. Hamza has already nominated him as the Punjab government spokesperson. Tarar has also shown interest in the home ministry.

As the PML-N plans to have a 25-member cabinet in the first phase, there are more aspirants for the ministries in the current political scenario.

“The party has to accommodate, at some stage, 25 dissidents of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), who have been de-seated for voting for Hamza; therefore, it (PML-N) cannot afford the luxury of having an extended cabinet in the first phase,” a PML-N lawmaker says. Although, the PML-N had promised to give them the party tickets for July 17 by-polls but no official announcement has come from the party so far.

The sources say the matter of ministries has slipped out of the hands of Hamza and Maryam, and landed in ‘the court’ of Nawaz Sharif who will have a final word in the matter after speaking to PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari. The PPP has been promised for four ministries and two ‘adviserships’ in Punjab.

After having a ‘portfolio-less’ eight-member cabinet, CM Hamza has been running the provincial government all by himself and his focus is on postings and transfers of civil and police bureaucracy. In his first six weeks in office, Hamza has transferred and posted over 300 bureaucrats to realign bureaucracy according to the PML-N needs.

Punjab government spokesperson Atta Tarar did not respond to Dawn’s queries.