ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has conveyed his strong displeasure to some of his close cabinet colleagues for bringing their intra-ministerial differences on media directing them to stop trading barbs forthwith.
Sources in the ruling PML-N informed The Nation the prime minister was quite disturbed over the situation where some of his senior and close cabinet colleagues came up with hostile and provocative comments against each other.
In an informal interaction with Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, Minister for Water and Power Kh Asif, Minister for Planning and Reforms Ch Ahsan Iqbal and Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, ahead of Cabinet Committee on Energy meeting, the prime minister expressed his strong displeasure over the ministers giving statements against each other on media.
Especially, Sharif in an admonishing tone dubbed Kh Asif’s comments about his differences with interior minister on a television show Tuesday night that he was not at talking terms with him for past several years as completely unwarranted which would leave negative impact on the government, already entangled in host of problems of serious nature.
Sources said Kh Asif tried to give explanation but the PM stopped him from doing so and directed all the ministers present there to stop giving statements against each other in public and resolve the differences within the government and party if there were any.
Another source in the party informed that Kh Asif was also not comfortable with the state minister in Ministry of Water and Power Abid Sher Ali but he could not do anything in this regard because of latter’s relations with the PM.
Sharif further said all the ministries should work within their domain and avoid trespassing on each other’s affairs, adding in case of any difference or dispute the matter should be brought to his notice and the same would be resolved within the cabinet.
Sources said the PM was worried about the way senior cabinet members were trying to negate each other and that too in media bringing bad name to the party and its governance which was already facing monstrous problems.
The sources added the PM asked finance minister to also talk with other cabinet members and pass on his directions to avoid coming up with controversies in media. But interestingly, in complete defiance to the prime minister’s directive, Interior Minister Ch Nisar Ali Khan came up with matching response to Kh Asif’s comments on a TV talk show saying he needed no assistance of defence minister in maintaining relations with army as he was already having smooth sailing with armed forces.
Sources in the ruling PML-N informed that although Ch Nisar had mended his ways with prime minister but still the relations between the two could not cross the level of working relationship and never touched the comfort level they used to enjoy in good old days. The sources further said it was expected that PM Sharif would soon be calling the meeting of his close aides to help resolve the differences between them and make them work in unison.