Two ministers from the ruling Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) have resigned to block Imran Khan's Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in the upcoming by-elections for 20 seats in the Punjab Assembly. One of them is a federal minister, the other is a provincial minister. However, analysts believe that there may be other reasons behind the resignation. In particular, some speculate that the two brothers may be behind the scenes, as both resigners belong to former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's group. Elections will be held on July 18.
The two resigning ministers are Federal Economic Affairs Chief Ayaz Sadiq and Punjab's Salman Rafique. They resigned on Saturday, citing "personal reasons". At a time when Pakistan is reeling from the economic crisis, questions have been raised about the rationale for the resignation of the Union Finance Minister. However, the party says they will return to the cabinet after the election.
It is to be noted that the by-elections of those 20 constituencies could make a big difference in the political equation of Pakistan. If the PML-N government is to survive in Punjab, it will have to win a few seats in this by-election. Again, former Prime Minister Imran Khan is not a man to give up. He is roaming the entire constituency. If he wins these seats, his party will be able to return to power in Punjab.
However, analysts say that the resigning Sadiq and Rafiq will not be able to play any role in this by-election. Instead, the two resigned because of a conflict between Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif and London-based Nawaz Sharif. They are both known to be members of the Nawaz group.
There are rumors that the two brothers have disagreed on several issues. In particular, Nawaz wants Ishaq Dar as finance minister. But Shahbaz Sharif wants to keep Miftah Ismail in power. Some say the two brothers are at loggerheads over some other appointments, including the Pakistan Cricket Board. Source: Don
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