MULTAN  -    Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Friday asked PML-N leadership to take the parliament and masses into confidence regarding the changes in its parliamentary leadership.

Addressing a press conference here, he said: “Will the leadership of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz like to take the parliament and people into confidence regarding reasons behind the recent change in the parliamentary leadership, and why suddenly such a change has been made, as members of their party are also in a state of shock.”

The PTI vice president expressed the hope that rational answers to those questions would be given in the National Assembly’s session, scheduled on Monday.

He said senior leadership of the PML-N was also unaware of the recent developments in the party. “Only a gang of four was aware of the change at command of the party,” he said.

He said Raja Muhammad Zafarul Haq and Mian Javed Latif had also expressed their surprise over the change in the party. Qureshi said the gang of four or five persons was taking all the decisions and parliamentary party was unaware of those decisions.

He said change of guard in the Pakistan Muslim League-N was their internal matter. However, when there was a talk of change of Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly it became a significant issue.

Qureshi said Parliamentary Committee on National Security also had Shehbaz Sharif as its member.

He questioned how Rana Tanveer Hussain could be the head of PAC when it had already been decided that leader of the opposition in the National Assembly would take up that position.

The foreign minister said the Public Accounts Committee was an important body in the parliament and sudden reshuffling of its leadership would impact parliamentary proceedings.

Qureshi said his party was not bound to accept the announcement made by PML-N about the PAC chairman. However, he said consultation could be made on the issue and negotiations could be held on it.

He said the decisions taken by the PML-N had also raised questions about the return of Shehbaz Sharif in near future. The opposition leader was scheduled to return to Pakistan on May 7, but now the party was not in a position to give his return schedule.

The PTI leader said there were rumours that Shahid Khaqan Abbasi would be made the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly. He said PPP had also expressed reservations on the PML-N’s decision to give the PAC chairmanship to Rana Tanveer. He said that PPP Information Secretary Dr Nafeesa Shah in a TV programme had said that the PML-N leadership did not consult the PPP on the decision of Shehbaz Sharif quitting the PAC chairmanship.

To a question, he said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf did not believe in any deal. Responding to another question, Qureshi said that he had no differences with Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar.

He said the chief minister had visited his office, where he along with other members reposed full confidence in his leadership. “I presented the confidence resolution in the meeting,” he added.

Responding to another question, he said reshuffle in the federal cabinet was the privilege of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

To a query, he said, there was no truth in the news about presidential form of government in the country. “Prime Minister Imran Khan and myself had categorically denied the rumour about the presidential form of government.”

He said that two-third of the majority was required to make changes in the country’s Constitution. “Neither the government nor the opposition wanted presidential form of government in the country,” he added.

He said that nobody was going to touch 18th Amendment. He said that changes were part of democracy and it took place across the world. He categorically declared that neither any deal was being made nor relaxation offered.

Responding to a question on Masood Azhar, he said that the BJP and Congress were in a state of war after UN’s Security Council’s decision and Indian media were stating that what Modi had achieved if the same results were desired.

He said that the UN sanctions were enforced since 2005 and Allah Almighty had given victory to Pakistan once again.