Financial interests, professional jealousies and grouping within the Sharif family have resulted in widening of rifts between the federal and provincial ministers who have gone public with their differences, revealing cracks within the party just before the upcoming local government elections.
Despite having full control over the party affairs as well as sizeable political clout, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif preferred to remain silent over the issue for a long time until Thursday night, when the prime minister had to finally intervene following a spat between his cousin and brother-in-law Chaudhry Sher Ali and Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan.
Sher Ali, father of State Minister for Water and Power Abid Sher Ali, on Thursday lashed out at Rana Sanaullah in a press conference, accusing him of victimising PML-N workers of Faisalabad with full support from Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif. He also accused Rana Sanaullah of ordering the killings of 20 people in Faisalabad.
Sher Ali also vehemently criticized Shehbaz Sharif, alleging him of being incapable of governing the province and dividing the party. “I will soon cut the tail and ear of the fake ‘lion’,” said Sher Ali, notwithstanding his family ties with the Sharif family.
Responding to the accusations, Rana Sana said that Sher Ali has lost his mental stability and is resorting to such allegations in a bid to blackmail the party into making his son, Abid Sher Ali, the mayor of Faisalabad.
“Our 75 senior Muslim League leaders have not been awarded party tickets for the upcoming LG polls,” Sher Ali continued his barrage of accusations. “If he wants resignation of Abid (Sher Ali), he is ready to resign.”
Sources told Pakistan Today that Sher Ali has been quite critical of Shehbaz Sharif for “patronizing” the activities of his archrival Rana Sanaullah in Faisalabad.
“Sher Ali is adamant that his son should be made Faisalabad mayor but Shehbaz Sharif has made it clear that the position would be given on merit and not because of family ties,” they said.
Interestingly, while top ministers and party leaders, considered to be very close to the prime minister are engaged in open mudslinging against each other, the minnows and those who are not a part of any group within the party are also coming under ‘friendly fire’.
Two days ago, Water and Power Minister Khawaja Asif demanded disbanding of the Planning Commission for what he called was its failure to plan and execute timely completion of energy projects.
Those accusations were seconded by his colleague, Petroleum Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, who also chose the media to accuse the Planning Commission for stalling LNG import and related projects.
Federal Defence Minister Khwaja Asif said during a TV talk show that he was not on speaking terms with Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan. “I’ve not spoken to him in the past three years,” he said.
In a tit-for-tat response, Nisar also told media the following day that he did not need clearance from the Defence Ministry to contact the army leadership.
Differences between Chaudhry Nisar and Finance Minister Ishaq Dar are also not new as their dislike for each other is an open secret. Nisar did not even speak to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for at least six months due to the premier’s tilt towards Dar who had refused to provide required funds to the Interior Ministry last year.
A source privy to the rifts between Khawaja Asif and Ahsan Iqbal told Pakistan Today that the water and power minister was unhappy with Iqbal for raising questions over the increase in the cost of some of power projects and asked the ministry to rationalise it.
“The Planning Commission sought some basic questions from the ministry which apparently irritated some ministers who chose to accuse the Commission,” the source said, adding that it seemed that scrutiny of development projects was unacceptable to both ministers.
“The Planning Commission has set the amount of Public Sector Development Programmes (PSDP) to a total of Rs 490 billion during the previous financial year, which is almost equivalent to the total allocation of PSDP amount for a year,” said an official statement released by the Planning Commission.
“Some ministries and divisions dislike close scrutiny of development projects, but this cannot distract the Planning Commission from its responsibility to safeguard the public money and ensure its effective utilisation in development projects,” said Ahsan Iqbal, adding that business as usual was unacceptable in the execution of PSDP projects.
On the other hand, a source close to Khawaja Asif told Pakistan Today that the minister was concerned that he was not being taken into confidence on critical projects, and Punjab CM Shahbaz Sharif was instead acting as shadow energy minister himself.
“Even Planning Commission and finance minister is bypassed in finalisation of certain power projects despite the fact that technical evaluation of energy projects is to be carried out by both institutions,” the source added.
The source said that the planning minister was bypassed in CPEC-related energy projects. He said that Ahsan Iqbal was an odd fellow in the cabinet whose hands were clean and he was not linked to any of the groups.
The source said that corporate interests and monetary benefits are points of contention between Federal Minister for Petroleum Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Ahsan Iqbal.
“For instance, the Planning Commission has raised objections over a plan by Ministry of Petroleum to install five LNG-based power projects to help produce 1,000 megawatts of power. Under the plan, three plants would be installed with a capacity of producing 250 megawatts of power each, while two power plants would produce 125 megawatts each.”
However, the source added that Planning Commission had raised objections over the proposal, arguing that on the one hand, the government was going to privatize GENCOs while on the other, a government company was being formed to produce power similar to the GENCOs’ operations.
The source claimed that the Planning Commission minister suspected that the project was an attempt to benefit a Dubai-based businessman who wanted to sell used gas-based power plants to the government.
“Another issue which is driving the petroleum minister nuts is that the LNG is being sold at $12.5 per MMBTU while OGRA has determined $8.64 as its price,” the source added.
Yet another issue is the escalation in cost of the Neelum Jhelum Hydropower Project whose initial cost was estimated at Rs 274 billion. However, the Water and Power Ministry escalated the cost to Rs 414 billion. The Planning Commission has strong reservations against the price tag. The Commission has asked the ministry to rationalise the cost. Moreover, the Islamic Development Bank, the donor for the project, has also expressed reservations against the escalated cost. Additionally the project was set to be completed in January 2016 but now it is likely to be delayed.
“Nandipur Power Project is another bone of contention. The project was taken over by the Punjab government. Planning Commission objected to this move,” the source said, adding that the escalation of cost of the Nandipur Power Project was also opposed by the Planning Commission.
DAR, SHAHBAZ DIFFERENCES:
Finance Minister Ishaq Dar attracted another controversy as differences arose between him and Shehbaz Sharif over his policy of withholding tax.
A source familiar with the situation said that imposition of withholding tax had not only badly damaged the popularity graph of the ruling party among the general masses, it had also hit hard the trading community a longtime bastion of strength for PML-N.
“Before the by-polls in NA-122 Lahore, Shehbaz Sharif had persuaded Dar to show flexibility over withholding tax to win back support of the business community. Dar held two parleys with the traders but no breakthrough was reached and the business community got even more restless,” the source said, adding that this had intensified tensions between Dar and Shehbaz.
