Imran Khan’s high-flying foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi is angry for not being included in his ten “ratans” (jewels). In his letter to the special secretary of the Pakistani Prime Minister Imran criticised the process of grading the performance of ministers and their ministries after his ministry was given 11th rank.
Qureshi has stated in his letter that his ministry has been the best performer, “we have achieved 22 out of the 26 targets assigned to us. Out of the remaining four, one of the targets was completed 99 percent.”
But according to sources, Imran Khan is not happy with Qureshi as he was not able to get US President Joe Biden on the hotline when he wanted to talk to him.
Qureshi is not the only one who is questioning the performance list. There are more than 10 senior ministers in Khan’s cabinet who have turned dissenters.
“How can a review committee headed by an unelected secretary, review the performance of cabinet members. Is this a joke?” Daily Jang reported a few ministers as saying.
Citing sources, the daily says that two government allies – the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q), which held the IT and housing ministries, respectively are also angry with Imran Khan for not being acknowledged despite their “outstanding performance”.
“What is the need of such tamasha (drama) when the country is going through such difficult times, “ the daily reported the defence minister Parvez Khatak as saying.
It all started on Thursday when Imran Khan awarded appreciation certificates to the top 10 best performing federal ministries and announced incentives and extra allowance for employees
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The award episode has not gone well in Pakistan where Imran Khan’s popularity has already nose-dived and united opposition parties have decided to bring a no-confidence motion against the Imran Khan led government.
“The real award was given to the people in the shape of the worst inflation while the incumbent government also got the award for taking historic loans and selling out the States Bank of Pakistan to the IMF,” says Maryam Nawaz Sharif, the vice president of Nawaz Sharif’s PML-M party which is a major constituent of “oust Imran Khan” movement.
Pakistani opposition parties are trying to woo not only allies of Imran Khan but senior members of his own PTI party.
Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said that Khan had committed a great injustice to Multan by not acknowledging the contribution made by his foreign minister Qureshi, who hailed from the city, while distributing performance certificates among his “lackeys”.
“On one hand, the government boasts about a successful foreign policy and the recent Chinese visit but on the other, deprives the foreign minister of a certificate,” mocking Imran Khan, Bilawal asked Qureshi to quit the party of “losers”.
The united 11 opposition parties of Pakistan under the banner of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) have decided to table “no confidence” motion against Imran Khan in the parliament and have been urging major allies of Khan to join their movement.
“If Imran Khan’s allies leave, the opposition will have 25-26 votes extra. It'll be very difficult for Imran Khan to survive the no-confidence motion,” says one Pakistani expert, adding that the military establishment has given all indication that this time it would not come to rescue Imran Khan.
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