LAHORE   -   Prime Minister Imran Khan Tuesday met Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) leaders Chaudhry Shujat Hussain and Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi at their residence here in Lahore.

According to Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the current political situation in the country and other matters of mutual interest were discussed in detail during the meeting. The PMO also shared on twitter videos of Prime Minister’s meeting with Chaudhrys of Gujrat, showing Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry, Energy Minister Hammad Azhar, Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood, Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Commerce Abdul Razak Dawood and PML-Q MNAs, including Shafay Hussain and Salik Hussain, among others, who were present on the occasion.

Showing their distrust of the Opposition’s plan to oust the government through a no-trust motion, the PML-Q leaders on Tuesday reassured Prime Minister Imran Khan that they would stand with the government in all circumstances.

“The talk of the no-confidence motion [from the Opposition] is nothing but a fiction.  We have our reservations about it,” the insiders quoted the Chaudhry’s as having told the prime minister who visited them along with the cabinet ministers at their Zahoor Elahi Road residence in a bid to enlist their support in the present chaotic political situation.

The PML-Q sources said that the Chaudhrys reassured their full support to the prime minister and told him that they were standing with the PTI government in the present situation. They also said that their politics was linked with that of the PTI, said the sources.

On the other hand, the PML-Q’s secretary general and Federal Minister Tariq Bashir Cheema told a news channel that his party’s leadership had not given any reassurance to the prime minister about not supporting the anticipated no-trust move by the Opposition.

“The issue of no-trust motion has not been discussed in today’s meeting at all. So there is no question of giving any word to the PM in this regard”, he maintained. Cheema, however, admitted that the PML-Q leaders’ recent meetings with opposition leaders did come under discussion in the meeting. He said the party had given mandate to Ch Parvez Elahi to take any decision [on the no-trust move issue] but he had not yet conveyed any such decision to the party members. “The PML-Q has not yet taken any decision [regarding no-trust motion] as meetings, discussions continue”, he stressed.

Briefing the prime minister about their recent meeting with the PML-N president Mian Shehbaz Sharif, the Chaudhrys reportedly told him that Shehbaz came to meet them after a long gap of 14 years. “We told him that if we fail to remove the prime minister, our politics would be buried forever. A political move which is bound to fail is of no use”, a PML-Q source quoted the Chaudhrys as having told the prime minister.

  The prime minister took the PML-Q leadership into confidence about his recent visits to China and Russia. The PM said he undertook the Russian visit against the advice of certain quarters. “I thought it would not be appropriate to postpone the visit at the eleventh hour”, the PM reportedly told the PML-Q leaders.

Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar, Federal Ministers, Abdul Razzak Dawood, Fawad Chaudhry, Khusro Bakhtyar, Shafqat Mahmood, Hammad Azhar and Amir Dogar also accompanied the prime minister. Members of National Assembly Ch Salik Hussain, Ch Hussain Elahi, Shafay Hussain and Rasikh Elahi were also present in the meeting.

The prime minister inquired after the health of Chaudhry Shujat Hussain and took him and Ch Parvez Elahi into confidence about his recent visits to China and Russia.

The PML-Q leaders also took up the issue of inflation in the meeting with the prime minister. “Please do something to overcome the price hike”, Chaudhry Shujat reportedly asked the PM who replied that the government was on it and taking measures to control prices of commodities.

Taking place in the wake of Opposition’s planned move to dislodge the government, the PM Imran Khan’s meeting with PML-Q chief Chaudhry Shujat Hussain and Speaker Punjab Assembly Chaudhry Parvez Elahi was seen as significant development by the analysts who believe that it came as big blow to the Opposition’s efforts to win over the government allies.

Following the Opposition’s announcement to bring a no-trust motion against PM Imran Khan, Chaudhry’s Lahore residence has been the centre of political activities in the last one month. Starting with the MQM delegation’s meeting with the PML-Q leaders in the first week of February, it has witnessed important political meetings involving the PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari, PML-N president Mian Shehbaz Sharif and PDM chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman. All these political bigwigs came here to seek support for ousting the incumbent government. Barring the PML-N, the PPP and the JUI-F offered Punjab’s chief minister ship to Ch Parvez Elahi in return for his party’s support in the Center.

According to a press release issued at the end of the meeting, the PML-Q leaders welcomed the PM’s decision regarding reduction in petrol and electricity prices. They also lauded the package for revival of industries.

Appreciating the announcement of reduction in petrol and electricity prices by the Prime Minister, Chaudhry Shujat Hussain said that now it was the duty of his ministers to monitor the reduction in prices in the markets so that the people could benefit from it at the grass root level.

Chaudhry Parvez Elahi lauded the announcement of a package for rehabilitation of industries and demanded a similar package for industrial estates of Punjab. PM Imran Khan agreed with the proposal and said: “This is a great idea; the industrial package will also include the industries of Punjab”:

Chaudhry Shujat Hussain and Chaudhry Parvez Elahi also praised the Prime Minister’s visit to Russia.

 Separately, Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday said that the government was fully cognizant of the problems faced by people due to price-hikes and was taking all possible measures to protect them from the negative effects of imported inflation due to rising prices of goods in the international markets.

These people-friendly measures included Rs. 10 reduction in the per liter prices of petrol and diesel as well as Rs. 5 per unit cut in electricity tariff, he added.

The Prime Minister expressed these views during his separate meetings here with Members of Parliament (MPs) belonging to Rawalpindi, Bahawalpur, Multan and Sahiwal Divisions.

He further said that 100% tax exemption for Information Technology (IT) companies and freelancers, no restriction on keeping foreign currency and 100% rebate on capital gain tax on investment in startups, for the promotion of IT and creation of ample job opportunities for youth were also part of the measures.

Besides, the Prime Minister said that the government, under the Kamyab Jawan Program, will spend Rs. 407 billion for subsidized business loans during the next few years. Cash assistance for the poor families under Ehsaas Program has also been increased from Rs. 12000 to 14000, he added.

He also mentioned other measures of the government including the introduction internship scheme of Rs. 30,000 per month for the unemployed graduates and the allocation of Rs. 38 billion for 2.6 million educational scholarships.

The Prime Minister reiterated that the government was doing all to minimize the negative effects of inflation through targeted subsidies and enabling an investment-friendly climate for the creation of maximum job opportunities for youth.

He directed the MPs to strengthen their contacts with masses for making them fully aware of the government’s various ongoing schemes initiated to ensure socioeconomic development of the country.

The Prime Minister said that the schemes included universal health coverage under the Naya Pakistan National Sehat Card, Ration Riayat Program under Ehsaas Card, loans for crops and the provision of quality seeds, fertilizer and insecticides on cheaper rates under Kissan Card; home financing, soft business loans and professional skills training of youth under the Kamyab Jawan and Kamyab Pakistan Programs and other poor-oriented measures.