Punjab Cabinet reshuffle on the cards

LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar is presently reviewing the performance of provincial ministers and advisers as Cabinet reshuffle is on the cards, BOL News learnt on Saturday.

Sources in the chief minister office said Chief Minister Buzdar had already hinted at it by giving the portfolio of housing, urban development and public health engineering to PTI legislator Asad Ali Khohkar on August 13.

“CM Buzdar had also asked former special assistant to chief minister for information Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan to resign because he was not satisfied with her performance as an adviser,” they said.

“CM Buzdar wants to give an impression to his cabinet members and bureaucracy that there is no favouritism in Punjab and only those ministers and bureaucrats would stay at key positions who are able to perform,” the sources said.

“The transfer of Tahir Khurshid on August 17, who was serving as CM Buzdar’s principal secretary and other power bureaucrats recently, is a clear cut hint from the CM that he is all set to make performance the only criteria to get important departments and portfolios,” the sources added.

Punjab Prisons Minister Fayyazul Hassan Chohan who was given the additional charge of the Punjab government’s spokesperson is likely to be given the Information Ministry after the Cabinet reshuffle.

“Fayyazul Hassan Chohan had been given a key assignment of convincing or winning back disgruntled PTI leaders belonging to Jahangir Tareen’s like-minded group,” the sources said.

The sources said CM Buzdar realised the importance of convincing the disgruntled leaders belonging to the Tareen group and is also likely to make an all-out effort to improve the relationship with Pakistan Muslim League (PML-Q), especially its leader and Punjab Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Pervez Elahi.

“Some PML-Q leaders getting a better portfolio or induction of someone from PTI’s like-minded group in the Punjab Cabinet after the reshuffle cannot be ruled out,” the sources told BOL News.

According to party insiders, key PTI leaders had already started lobbying to get better portfolios and are trying to win CM Buzdar’s trust.

“Nazir Chohan who had recently ditched Jahangir Khan Tareen and his group is also lobbying to be inducted in the provincial cabinet,” the sources confirmed to BOL News.