Kaira refutes reports about PPP joining coalition govt – M Haris

• Kaira says he didn’t discuss anything about joining govt.
• Iqbal also met PPP leader and Balochistan CM Bugti.
• Shehbaz has “decided” to include PPP leaders in cabinet.

Senior Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Qamar Zaman Kaira has refuted the media reports about his party joining the treasury benches terming them as “baseless”.

The speculations about the PPP joining the government sparked after Federal Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal’s meetings with Kaira and Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti.

The reports suggested that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader held these meetings because he had been given the task to woo the PPP to join the federal cabinet.

Talking to Geo News, Kaira said he met the planning minister to discuss about development schemes of his constituency, rather than joining the treasury benches.

“I did not discuss anything about joining the government with Ahsan Iqbal,” he said.

On the other hand, sources told The News that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has decided to expand the federal cabinet after the budget and has invited the PPP to join the government formally.

According to the report published on Wednesday, senior political leaders from the PML-N and allied parties will be included in the cabinet.

The publication stated that the prime minister has started working for the inclusion of new cabinet members and has once again invited the PPP to be a part of the cabinet with talks going on in this regard.

After the decision of the PPP leadership, this matter will be kept before the top decision-making body of the party — the Central Executive Committee (CEC) — which will make the final call.

It is important to note that after the elections, the PPP decided against joining the PML-N alliance in the Centre and Punjab but voted for Shehbaz as prime minister.

The PPP had initially decided not to take any ministries and had limited itself to only constitutional and parliamentary posts as per a formula agreed with the PML-N.

However, the party changed its mind recently and expressed its desire to join the Punjab government if offered “a proper share”.

Senior PPP leader and Senate Chairman Yousuf Raza Gilani made the announcement last month while speaking with journalists in Multan at his residence.

The party leadership could consider joining the cabinet of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif if provided with a proper space in the province, he had said.