ISLAMABAD - Expressing serious reservations over the treatment meted out to them by Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf, Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid) leadership Monday decided to take up their issues directly with Prime Minister Imran Khan.
A meeting of PML-Q federal and Punjab parliamentary parties was held here Monday at the residence of party chief and former prime minister Ch Shujaat Hussain where the growing concerns with the senior coalition partner PTI came under discussion.
Sources in the party informed The Nation that one of the major concerns of PML-Q was that the ruling PTI was not taking them in loop on important issues particularly in the constituencies where the PML-Q members were elected.
The sources aware of the deliberations of the meeting informed that the party leadership was under pressure from its MPAs and MNAs for continuous indifference of the PTI towards them, especially they were not consulted even while framing any development strategy for their constituencies.
These sources further informed that PML-Q MPs were also annoyed over the handling of local administration in their constituencies by the PTI leaders in their respective constituencies so that they could not even get their genuine issues addressed at local level without the approval of the PTI leaders.
After threadbare deliberations, it was decided that Shujaat Hussain should take up these issues with Prime Minister Imran Khan as so far all their efforts to resolve these issues at local level had completely failed. The party MPs empowered Ch Shujaat to take appropriate decision in this connection. The sources said that during the meeting Ch Shujaat Hussain and Ch Pervaiz Elahi pacified the party MPs who wanted the party leadership to take decisive step as it would not possible for them to work in the government where they could not get even a petty matter resolved in their constituencies.
The sources aware of the developments taking place on this front informed that even the PML-Q ministers in Punjab Cabinet were not given authority to freely handle the affairs in their departments and ministries and PTI It was further decided in the meeting that following the meeting no media talk would be arranged and a statement would be issued about the main decisions of the joint parliamentary parties meeting.
However, in a brief chat with media central leader of the party Kamil Ali Aga came up with hostile remarks about the government and said that they have major concern with Prime Minister Imran Khan that his government was not taking them into loop on major policy matters. “This policy of indifference toward coalition partners is prevailing at all levels,” he added. He cautioned that if the PTI leadership has not mended fences it would become difficult for them to stay part of the coalition.
The meeting was attended by Speaker Punjab Assembly Ch Parvez Elahi, Federal Minister Tariq Bashir Cheema, MNAs Moonis Elahi, Ch Salik Hussain, Ch Hussain Elahi and Farrukh Khan, Provincial Minerals Hafiz Ammar Yasir, Ch Shujaat Nawaz Ajnala, Sajid Ali Bhatti, Ehsanul Haq, Muhammad Rizwan, Dr Muhammad Afzal, Muhammad Abdullah Yousuf, Khadeeja Faroqui as well as Pakistan Muslim League Central Information Secretary Kamil Ali Agha and Mian Munir among others. MPA from Khyber Pukhtoonkhwah (KPK) Mufti Obaidur Rehman also attended the meeting and apprised Ch Shujat about KP affairs.
Meanwhile, according to media release issued by the media wing of the party the members expressed grave concern over the tragic Sahiwal tragedy through a resolution and conveyed their sympathies to the oppressed family. They also demanded that those responsible for the tragedy be given appropriate punishment.