In sign of growing mistrust, PML-Q says it's becoming difficult to support PTI

LAHORE: The ruling coalition seems to be in a quagmire as a key allied party of the PTI has expressed reservations over the sufferings of the masses amid rising inflation.

In a series of tweets Sunday, PML-Q senior leader and Punjab Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi said that it was getting really hard to go support the PTI government as an ally.

He said the PTI government seemed to fail to mitigate the public sufferings and regretted that it was rubbing salt on the wounds of the public by presenting non-issues as serious issues.

Elahi said the situation will worsen if immediate relief is not provided to the common man and suggested the authorities concerned to show seriousness in resolving all issues faced by the public.

Meanwhile, a meeting of the PML-Q parliamentary party was also held under the chairmanship of Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi.

All members said that the common man is suffering, and public representatives were finding it difficult to face the people in their constituencies. For all these reasons, it is becoming difficult to go along with the government, they added.

In the meeting, all members of the Assembly gave the authority to Pervaiz Elahi to make a decision over continuation of the coalition with the government.

They expressed concerns over rising unemployment and inflation. Serious apprehensions were also expressed over the rising rate of the dollar, petrol, electricity and gas prices and the deteriorating law and order situation.

Federal ministers Tariq Bashir Cheema, Moonis Elahi, Senator Kamil Ali Agha, MNAs Salik Hussain, Hussain Elahi, Farrukh Khan, provincial ministers Hafiz Ammar Yasir, Bao Rizwan, MPAs Sajid Ahmad Khan Bhatti, Abdullah Yousuf Warraich, Dr Muhammad Afzal, Ehsanul Haq Chaudhry, Shujaat Nawaz Ajnala, Khadija Omar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly member Mufti Obaid-ur-Rehman and Shafay Hussain were also present.

GDA says PTI not addressing their complaints

Meanwhile, another coalition partner has asked the ruling party to address its concerns related to Sindh.

Talking to Geo News, a senior leader of the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) and Federal Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination and Sports Dr Fehmida Mirza said she does not hold the Centre responsible for the surging inflation.

“We all agree that with the way elections are being held in the country, with Senate polls as an example, there’s a need to bring reforms in the election process and for this, the Election Commission is also hugely responsible.”

She said that the GDA lawmakers are concerned over how the elections will be conducted and wanted to bring a comprehensive package for reforms.

“Inflation is truly a major problem, but we are not living in isolation. Hoarding plays an important part in this and this is a provincial subject,” she said and asked how she could hold the federal government responsible if the provincial government is not releasing wheat.

“We do have reservations with the Centre related to Sindh and had been conveying them to the [people] concerned, but our complaints have not been addressed.”

She also raised objections over the way the government is running Parliament, saying that if Parliament is strengthened, the government will get stronger too.