Punjab governor denies rift with CM Buzdar

Sarwar says his visits of the province were misjudged by PML-Q’s Cheema as interfering in his constituency

LAHORE: A day after a video surfaced on social media showing the PML-Q leadership asking PTI’s Jahangir Tareen to ‘rein in’ Punjab Governor Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar, the latter on Sunday insisted that there was no rift between him and Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar.

“There is no rift between the Punjab Governor House and the Punjab Chief Minister Secretariat. Punjab Chief Minister Buzdar and his secretariat are the centre of power in the province,” said the governor after inaugurating a water filtration plant and a medical laboratory at the Faisalabad Central Jail.

He claimed that the media had given out of proportion coverage to a video clip in which Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid leaders were expressing their concerns over the governor’s role in the Punjab government.

The clip that surfaced over social media on Saturday is of a meeting that took place between the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Jahangir Tareen, Punjab Minister for Mines and Minerals Hafiz Ammar Yasir and the PML-Q leaders – Punjab Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi and Federal Minister for Housing Tariq Bashir Cheema.

It shows the PML-Q leadership expressing concern over Sarwar’s role in the Punjab government, asking Tareen to ‘rein in’ Sarwar. In the clip, Cheema complains to Tareen, “Sir, control Sarwar, he will not let your chief minister stay.”

Speaking to the media, Sarwar said political leaders express such things in internal party meetings.

He said he had no issue with the Punjab chief minister, but the PML-Q leader Cheema had some misconception about him. “Being Punjab’s governor, I visit every place in the province, but for some unknown reasons Cheema misunderstood my visits and thought I was trying to interfere in his constituency,” said Sarwar, adding that he met Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday, but he (Imran) did not ask anything about the video clip since it was a “non-issue”.

Sarwar announced that all political allies (parties) would support the PTI candidates in the upcoming Senate elections since there were no differences among them.

“The PTI government is committed to bringing a positive change in the common man’s life by ensuring effective utilisation of available resources and taxpayers’ money,” he added.