LAHORE - Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, who doesn’t believe in sharing power or responsibility with any body in the government, is surely a changed man now if newly appointed Punjab Governor Malik Rafique Rajwana is to be believed.
In an exclusive chat with The Nation on Monday, the governor revealed that the chief minister Punjab felt over-burdened with his work and wanted some one whom he trusted to give him a lending hand. “The chief minister wants me to share the burden of his work and it would be a great honour for me to perform this job”, Rajwana told this scribe after his formal interaction with the media at the Governor House here.
Asked how would he assist the chief minister in administrative matters which was not his domain under the constitution, the governor replied: “I would assist the chief minister by sending recommendations on what could be done to ameliorate the lot of people especially those from the southern Punjab”.
He said he was well aware of his constitutional limits and would not do any anything against the constitution. “My leadership has great trust in me and I would be playing a supportive role to help resolve the issues facing the people”, Rajwana elaborated his point.
It merits mentioning here that Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif did not have a good working relationship with former Punjab governor Ch Mohammad Sarwar due to the latter’s craving to have some role in administrative matters. As he was not obliged, Sarwar became a harsh critic of the Punjab government and later quit his office to join the PTI.
But history is not going to be repeated in the case of Rafique Rajwana as the chief minister himself is willing to seek his services. And he has found his confidant in the shape of new Punjab Governor who is also eager to work with the chief minister whom he calls his leader.
Earlier in his media talk, Rajwana reiterated for the third consecutive time that he was grateful to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif for reposing trust in an ordinary worker like him. “My appointment as governor of a biggest province is testimony to the fact that PML-N leadership has great love and regard for ordinary party workers and the people of south Punjab,” he averred.
Rajwana said he would try his level best to work for the welfare of the people of Punjab in collaboration with the ‘most active and effective’ Chief Minister Mian Mohammad Shahbaz Sharif. He also mentioned the Rural Road Programme of the chief minister, saying, the government was spending billions of rupees on the construction of road network for the first time in Punjab’s history.
The governor parried questions on proceedings of the election tribunals, water issues and the proposed economic corridor. He, however, expressed the hope that present government would complete its stipulated tenure.