After Mehar’s sacking, exodus feared from PML-Q

Sources say three Q-League ministers have expressed reservations with leadership.

ISLAMABAD: With Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q)’s Ghous Bux Mehar sacked from his post as privatisation minister in the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP)-led federal cabinet, many more disenchanted ministers from PML-Q are likely to quit – not only from the cabinet, but the party itself.

Sources privy to developments within the party told The Express Tribune that several cabinet members from PML-Q have conveyed their reservations to the party leadership. These include Federal Minister for Education and Training Sheikh Waqas Akram, Minister of Production Awar Ali Cheema (incidentally, a close relative of the PML-Q chief) and former Balochistan chief minister Jam Yousaf – who, despite being designated a federal minister, has not been allocated any portfolio. The disenchanted ministers maintain commitments made to them upon joining the cabinet are still unfulfilled, the sources added.

Interestingly, though PML-Q chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain joined hands with rival PPP to save his fractured party, defections have continued unabated. The party was earlier dealt a massive blow when its Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa chapter president Amir Muqam switched over to Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz (PML-N).

Now, sources within PML-Q say that these ministers, and many others, are considering other options and the party leadership feared they may leave before the next general elections.

“Many PML-Q members including these three are already in touch with other parties. They are assessing the situation before making a final leap,” a close associate of the Chaudhrys told The Express Tribune. They have been complaining about development funds and commitments made to them by the party leadership before joining the ruling coalition, he added.

Differences between Jam Yousaf and Ghous Bux Mehar have also troubled the PML-Q leadership.

Although Mehar has not yet publically announced his resignation from PML-Q, his intentions appear clear. His son, Shahryar Mehar, has already resigned from the Sindh cabinet and joined the opposition in the provincial assembly.

The Mehars wield considerable clout in the northern parts of Sindh. Conflicting reports about which party Mehar may join after leaving PML-Q are currently doing rounds – some suggest the former minister may opt for PML-N while others say he will join Pir Pagara’s PML faction. Sources close to Mehar’s family, meanwhile, say that both he and his son will likely contest the elections independently or make local alliances, and decide to join a party after the polls.