Daily Times

The Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) on Friday managed to get another ministry in Punjab after one of its MPAs, Bao Rizwan, took oath as a minister.

Punjab Governor Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar administered the oath to Rizwan at a ceremony held at the Governor’s House that was also attended by Chief Minister Usman Buzdar.

The portfolio for the newly inducted cabinet member is yet to be announced.

It might be mentioned that MPA Rizwan had remained loyal to the Chaudhry’s of Gujrat during the worst time faced by the party.

Rizwan was elected as MPA for the first time in 2002 and he returned to the Punjab Assembly once again in 2008 and didn’t become part of the forward-bloc that was formed at that time by the PML-N within the PML-Q.

This is his thirst stint in the Punjab Assembly after winning July 25 polls from Sialkot.

Now, the volume of the Punjab cabinet is 43 after the induction of Rizwan by counting all the ministers, special assistants and advisors to the CM.

It is important to note that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has taken in a large number of independent candidates, who got elected as MPAs in July 25 elections, due to its thin majority in the House.

As many as 29 independent MPAs were elected on July 25 from Punjab and no party was in a position to form its government in the province without their support as PTI got 122 seats while PML-N was leading with 129 seats. The PTI managed to woo a large number of independents at that time. Twenty three independent MPAs joined PTI and made the task easy for Imran Khan to form government in Punjab as well.

Similarly, the PTI had to accommodate MPAs of PMLQ as well due to its thin majority in the House of 371.

From 10 MPAs of PML-Q, two have been made ministers while the most coveted office of the Speaker Punjab Assembly is also occupied by the Q because these 10 MPAs can easily dismantle the government of PTI in Punjab if they decide to leave the coalition in the province.

Some insiders believe that the Q-league will take advantage of the situation in near future once again while demanding another ministry in the federal for MNA Moonis Elahi.

Meanwhile, Ch Sarwar said that the consensus on working together in Punjab and centre has been achieved. “All the coalition partners, including PMLQ, are on the same page. People has given us mandate for five years and we will complete our constitutional tenure,” Governor said after administering the oath. The ceremony was also attended by CM, provincial ministers Raja Basharat, Fayyaz ul Hassan Chohan, Nauman Langrial, secretary general of PTI Arshad Dad and MNA Ch Moonis Elahi.

Both the Governor and CM also held a meeting with the newly inducted cabinet member.

Published in Daily Times, February 9^th 2019.