Over the past 72 hours, Premier Sharif has met MNAs from South Punjab, and Faisalabad and Sargodha divisions. In the coming days, he will meet leaders of the rest of the provincial divisions and announce his decisions after getting their input, the sources said. PHOTO: PID
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is considering a fattened up and overhauled federal cabinet, one among four key issues that he hopes the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) lawmakers will endorse in their ongoing consultations.
The other three crunch issues concern the appointment of a new governor in Punjab, the upcoming local government elections and the distribution of development funds.
Party insiders told The Express Tribune that the premier has inquired about the performance of his federal ministers from the area representatives and asked about the ministers’ impression in their respective constituencies.
The PM, the sources said, told the MNAs that he would first expand the federal cabinet and then ask Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif to reshuffle the provincial cabinet also.
Abdul Ghafoor Haideri and Abbas Khan Afridi have recently quit the cabinet.
Over the past 72 hours, Premier Sharif has met MNAs from South Punjab, and Faisalabad and Sargodha divisions. In the coming days, he will meet leaders of the rest of the provincial divisions and announce his decisions after getting their input, the sources said.
The talks are likely to continue till the end of the current session of the National Assembly. MNA Muhammad Safdar, a member of the Public Affairs Unit at Islamabad, is facilitating the PM in the meetings.
Development funds
During the last three meetings, the sources said, the PM told the lawmakers about the steps taken by the federal government related to development projects. The government has given Rs20 million to each MNA for development projects in their constituencies.
The premier told the MNAs to focus on the major developments schemes that would help them get re-elected in the next general election.
Punjab governor
The PM has been listening to suggestions from the MNAs for a suitable name for the Punjab governor slot, which fell vacant after Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar resigned on January 28.
Lawmakers from south Punjab want the governor to be from their area, with the majority recommending Saud Majeed as an appropriate candidate.
Local body elections
The PM, the sources said, is keen on winning the upcoming local government elections and has sought suggestions on ways to sweep the polls against other political parties, especially the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and the Pakistan Peoples Party. He also urged the lawmakers to be proactive in the cantonment areas.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 23rd, 2015.
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