ISLAMABAD: Senior Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Qamar Zaman Kaira on Wednesday denied media reports claiming that his party would join the treasury benches, dismissing them as “baseless”.
According to a media report, Speculations regarding the PPP’s potential alliance with the government arose following meetings between Federal Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal and Kaira, as well as Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti.
The media reports indicated that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader conducted these meetings as he had been assigned the responsibility of persuading the PPP to join the federal cabinet.
In an interview with a private TV channel, Kaira stated that his meeting with the planning minister was focused on discussing development projects for his constituency, rather than any intention to join the treasury benches. He clarified, “I did not discuss joining the government with Ahsan Iqbal.”
Meanwhile, sources have revealed that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif plans to expand the federal cabinet after the budget and has extended a formal invitation to the PPP to join the government.
As per media reports, senior political leaders from the PML-N and its allied parties will be included in the cabinet. According to the publication, PM Shehbaz has begun efforts to include new cabinet members and has extended another invitation to the PPP to join discussions on cabinet inclusion.
Following the decision of the PPP leadership, this issue will be presented to the party’s top decision-making body, the Central Executive Committee (CEC), which will make the final decision.
