Shehbaz Sharif - Central News Hub

Rift in PPP over joining Shehbaz Sharif’s cabinet

The sources said most of the PPP leaders are seeking the new federal government’s support for electoral reforms without taking charge of ministries….reports Asian Lite News

The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) appears to be reluctant to join the new Pakistan federal cabinet due to division in its ranks as most of its leaders are seeking support for electoral reforms without taking ministries while others are of the view that the coalition government won’t last for even two months if they opt to keep to the sidelines, Express Tribune reported.

In this regard, sources said PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari have started consultations on the matter in the light of different and contradictory views.

The sources said most of the PPP leaders are seeking the new federal government’s support for electoral reforms without taking charge of ministries.

Some of the leaders are of the opinion that they should join the federal cabinet for political stability. They believe that participation is necessary for political stability, and if they did not join the cabinet, the coalition government would not be able to function for even two months.

A decision on the PPP’s inclusion in the federal cabinet will be taken in the next few days, they added.

Following an in-house change through the vote of no-confidence, the erstwhile joint opposition moved to the treasury benches after ousting the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and elected Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif as the 23rd prime minister of Pakistan.

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Shehbaz Sharif barred from leaving country

Sharif was stopped and offloaded from a Doba-bound flight during early hours of Saturday…reports Hamza Ameer

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president and Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, Shehbaz Sharif, was stopped from leaving the country despite having court orders to go abroad for medical treatment.

Sharif was stopped and offloaded from a Doba-bound flight during early hours of Saturday. After arguments with the immigration officials, he was informed that there was a problem with the system update.

The drama at the airport unfolded after the airline issued Shehbaz Sharif a boarding card. However, after arriving at the immigration counter, he was informed that he cannot board the plane, reason being the system had not been updated yet for him to leave the country.

Sharif was granted a one time permission by the Lahore High Court (LHC) to fly abroad on health grounds. He is a cancer patient and had informed the court that he was advised by his doctors to get treatment done in the United Kingdom (UK).

The LHC granted him permission to go abroad on medical grounds from May 8 to July 3, scheduling the hearing on his petition, seeking removal from the blacklist on July 5.

At the airport, Sharif showed the court orders to the immigration officials, who insisted that until the system was not updated, Sharif’s name remains on the blacklist or the no-fly list.

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“Shahbaz Sharif was held back at the behest of Prime Minister Imran Khan and Special Assistant to Prime Minister Shahzad Akbar”, said PML-N spokesperson Mariyum Aurangzeb.

“Restraining him from travelling abroad is in contempt of court. The claim regarding system not being updated is false,” she added.

Mariyum Auranzeb lashed out at the government for coming down to mean maneuvers.

Shehbaz Sharif(Wikipedia)

“The government has come down to outright mean maneuvers, but this does not make any difference to Shahbaz Sharif,” she said.

On the other hand, the government has decided to seek all legal avenues against the court decision to allow Shahbaz Sharif to travel abroad.

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry termed the court decision as mockery of the law.

“Shahbaz Sharif has been involved in money laundering worth billions. For him to run away like this would be great misfortune for the country,” he said.

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