Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC) Minister Mian Riaz Hussain Pirzada Friday announced to tender a resignation from his office in protest to the suspension of Sports Board Pakistan Director-General Akhtar Nawaz Ganjera without his prior information.
However, Pakistan Today’s investigation has revealed that Pirzada intimated to the prime minister about his intention to resign, saying that he might be ‘relieved’ of his duties if the intervention in his ministry could not be stopped.
“This looks like to be a storm in a teacup,” a close aide of the minister told Pakistan Today, requesting anonymity. The source said that the minister did not mention the word “resignation” in his letter sent to the prime minister; rather, said that he may be relieved of his duties if the prime minister did not have faith in him.
“Let me tell you frankly that neither Pirzada is resigning nor the prime minister would allow him to go home. If he goes home, it means the PML-N would lose two national assembly seats and six Punjab Assembly seats in one go. So the prime minister is likely to invite him to the PM House soon and his apprehensions would be addressed,” the source added.
Though the minister not only officially sent his “resignation” to the PM House, he also accused Prime Minister’s Principal Secretary Fawwad Hassan Fawwad, as well as secretary establishment, of massive corruption, while talking to the media.
However, the furious but outspoken minister made it sure not to target the prime minister, saying that he didn’t want to say anything about the premier, who was already facing a tough time.
“I would not say anything against the prime minister who is still my leader. He is in difficult times right now. But I would also say that the corrupt practices are going unabated by people who are sitting in the PM House,” a furious minister told the media while leaving his office.
He said that unabated interference in his ministry was a cause of his resignation but the suspension of
Dr Akhtar Nawaz Ganjera was the last straw that broke the camel’s back.
It is pertinent to mention here that the federal government Wednesday had suspended PSB DG for three months, though no charge was mentioned against him in the notification of suspension.
Ganjera, who also hails from Bahawalpur, the hometown of Riaz Pirzada, enjoys full backing of the minister, who has decided to take up the matter with the prime minister.
“I have been disrespected enough by the prime minister’s principal secretary,” Pirzada said, adding that he was not ready to accept most disrespected more and will not retract my resignation.”
Pirzada, while visiting the Sports Board in Islamabad, announced that he had officially handed over his resignation.
