‘Q’ ministers say Chaudhrys sold them for peanuts

In their first meeting after being appointed, the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) ministers and state ministers strongly criticised the Chaudhrys for securing a ‘poor deal’ with the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) government and said the PML-Q leadership had sold the party for peanuts. The meeting, chaired by party president Shujaat Hussain, was attended by all 14 ministers.
“Faisal Saleh Hayat and Ameer Muqam raised serious objections on the power-sharing deal telling the Chaudhrys point blank that they had clinched an immature and poor deal with the PPP top brass on Sunday night in a haste,” said a source present in the meeting.
The source said Hayat told the meeting that he had told the Chaudhrys after visiting President Asif Zardari on Friday with Shujaat that the PML-Q would not strike a power-sharing deal with the PPP until the government accepted his drafted 19-point charter of demands which included a broad-based political partnership securing PML-Q’s future political interests.
“Hayat told PML-Q ministers that according to the plan decided between the Chaudhrys and other PML-Q central leaders, the Chaudhrys had to do some other rounds of negotiations with the PPP team to finalise the deal’s nitty-gritty and the agreement was not supposed to be signed on Sunday in haste,” the source said, adding that Hayat said it was decided by the PML-Q top command that the party would not clinch a power-sharing deal with the PPP without securing some important portfolios from where it could deliver.
Sources said that the party’s provincial president in Balochistan, Jam Muhammad Yousaf threatened the Chaudhrys that he would part ways with the party if he was not considered for a ministerial slot, saying that the Chaudhrys had not given representation to Balochistan in their power-sharing deal. Sources said that the Chaudhrys assured him that they would ask the government to consider a position for him in the federal cabinet.
No remuneration: Talking to reporters after the meeting, Shujaat said the PML-Q ministers and advisers would not take salaries and every minister would prepare a plan about his ministry and the public would be apprised about it. “Our ministers will be answerable to the prime minister. Jam Muhammad Yousaf will also take oath as federal minister while Waseem Sajjad will leave the position of the opposition leader in the Senate,” he said.
Earlier, Muqam walked out of the meeting to register his protest. Talking to Pakistan Today, Muqam said he was against the proposal of the PML-Q joining the government from the beginning “but I was forced to take the oath on Monday”. He said he had been offered a ministry related to “production” that did not exist.
In a press release issued from his office, Muqam said he had become a cabinet member on the party’s insistence and announced that he would not draw a salary, or any other benefits attached with the position of a federal minister. He said he had taken oath to serve the masses and if he faced obstacles in materialising his ambitions, he would waste no time in tendering his resignation from the post.
The source said some ministers objected that the PPP government had given PML-Q those ministries which were set to be devolved in the next few weeks like Health and Minorities Affairs. “Shujaat and Pervaiz Elahi told the angry PML-Q ministers that matters relating to portfolios could be sorted out later,” the source said.
Riaz Pirzada, federal minister for minorities’ affairs told Pakistan Today that in the meeting the party decided to formulate a strategy for the PML-Q ministers so that they could serve the nation efficiently. On Tuesday, the Cabinet Division issued a notification regarding the PML-Q ministers and allocated portfolios.
According to the notification, Pervez Elahi has been given the Ministry of Defence Production and Industries, Anwar Ali Cheema Health, Faisal Saleh Hayat Housing and Works, Riaz Pirzada Minorities’ Affairs, Wajahat Hussain Overseas Pakistanis, Ghous Bukhsh Mahar Privatisation and Amir Muqam has been given the portfolio of Production Ministry.
Six ministers of state have also been allocated portfolios including Sardar Bahadur Khan Sehar who has been given Defence Production Ministry, Akram Masih Gill Health, Raza Hayat Hiraj Housing and Works, Sheikh Waqas Akram Overseas Pakistanis, Rana Asif Tauseef Privatisation and Sardar Shahjehan Yousaf Production.
However, the portfolio to Minister of State Khawaja Sheeraz Mehmood had not been decided so far, according to notification.