In a surprising development on Friday, Dr Shahbaz Gill tendered his resignation as spokesperson for Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar, while the chief minister fired his special adviser Aun Chaudhry.
“I hereby resign from the post of official spokesperson to CM Punjab,” Gill stated in his resignation addressed to the chief minister. He didn’t cite any reason in the resignation note for quitting the post. Sources, however, said Gill didn’t tender his resignation voluntarily but was forced to do so and was conveyed that he will be sacked otherwise.
The PTI insiders are of the view that the last presser of Gill proved to be the final nail in the coffin.
Gill in his last press conference a couple of days ago had criticised the ministers and members of his party without naming anyone. “One who doesn’t like Chief Minister Usman Buzdar should leave the party,” he had said at the press conference, quoting Prime Minister Imran Khan as having said this.
Sources claimed that Gill was asked to tender his resignation soon after the presser by a senior member of the federal cabinet who is believed to be very close to Imran Khan but Gill refused and insisted on talking to the prime minister himself. The government was all set to sack him and, therefore, he resigned in haste, the sources claimed.
It is pertinent to mention here that Gill equally perturbed the members of treasury and the opposition in the Punjab Assembly through his attitude while the bureaucracy of the largest province was also not happy with him. It was seen during the early days of Gill’s appointment that bureaucracy was reluctant to give him briefings as the officers raised questions over his nomination as spokesperson to CM without being an elected representative or holding any government office. It has also been learnt that the members of the ruling party were annoyed by Gill as he used to interfere in the domains of ministers and their departments.
Dr Shahbaz Gill also faced the tirade of the opposition members in the Punjab Assembly due to his attitude and style of working. PPP parliamentary leader Syed Hassan Murtaza once lashed out at Gill during the assembly session, saying that a non-elected person has been imposed on the ministers and the chief minister which is an insult to the elected representatives. There was no one from the treasury benches to defend Gill at that time as all the ministers and MPAs of government preferred to keep silent over the issue.
In another incident, PML-N MPA Samiullah Khan criticised the unparliamentary attitude of Gill in Punjab Assembly. Gill was clapping while sitting in the official gallery of Punjab Assembly during the recent budget session and Samiullah Khan pointed out that any person sitting in the official gallery cannot take part in the proceeding of the House through his words or actions. The stance of Samiullah was not opposed by the PTI and the Chair at that time.
Repeated attempts were made to contact Gill but he wasn’t available for comments.
In another major development, close confidante of Imran Khan Aun Chaudhry was removed from the office of advisor to CM. Asif Mehmood, a former MPA of PTI from Rawalpindi and Chairman of PHA Rawalpindi, has replaced him as advisor to the chief minister. Mehmood shall act as adviser to chief minister on ‘Affairs related to Punjab Horticulture Authorities (PHAs) and Tourism’.
Separately, Chief Minister Buzdar in a communiqué to the Punjab acting governor advised him to appoint Malik Asad Ali, a member of Punjab Assembly, as a provincial minister. “In pursuance of Article 132 (1), read with Article 105 (1) of the Constitution of Pakistan, the Governor of Punjab is hereby advised to appoint Malik Asad Ali, member of Provincial Assembly of Punjab (PP-168) […] as provincial minister,” the letter read. Acting Governor Ch Pervaiz Elahi later administered oath to Malik.