For PML-Q, all’s well when ministry ‘pays’ well

After three days of bickering between the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML), the issue of distribution of ministerial portfolios – after the return of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) – was resolved on Tuesday with the ruling party agreeing to allot ‘more lucrative portfolios’ to the PML-Q’s provincial ministers and advisers. With the MQM rejoining the coalition government, the Sindh chief minister had requested ministers and advisers belonging to PML-Q and PML-Functional (PML-F) to vacate their portfolios that were previously held by the MQM. However, the demand had irked both the parties and their leaderships strongly protested on the issue.
PML-F chief Pir Pagara criticised the chief minister using harsh words while PML-Q chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain complained to President Asif Ali Zardari. According to official sources, the PPP has agreed to allot Ministry of Board of Investment to Shaheryar Maher, who will vacate the Environment and Alternative Energy Ministry; Adviser to Chief Minister Haleem Adil Shaikh, who currently has the Sports Ministry, would be given the Transport Ministry, which was recently vacated by PPP’s Akhtar Jadoon; and another PML-Q adviser Aijaz Shah Shirazi would be given the Forests Department, which was vacated after Dr Zulfiqar Mirza resigned from his office. Meanwhile, sources in the PML-F said that the issue pertaining to replacement of their ministries had not been resolved yet but the party leadership has informed the president about their grievances and he has to take the decision.