ISLAMABAD: The ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has agreed to offer two ministries to the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) as a reward for its support to Mamnoon Hussain, the PML-N’s nominee in the presidential poll, sources in the two parties said.
According to sources in the two parties, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had asked the JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman to propose two names from his party for the federal cabinet.
The sources said that the JUI-F had been offered the ministry of communications while negotiations were pending on the second ministry. The JUI-F is also expected to get the chairmanships of some important standing committees.
Moreover, a source in the party said Maulana had already nominated former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister Akram Durrani for one of the cabinet slots while the other name was being finalised.
It is pertinent to mention that the JUI-F officially denies having any underhand deal with the ruling Nawaz-league.
The JUI-F had extended unconditional support to Mamnoon Hussain and the issue of cabinet positions had not been discussed, Maulana told reporters outside the Parliament House.
But later in a statement issued in the evening, he said “The party will submit the names for the cabinet at an appropriate time.”
Justifying the delay in decision to support Hussain, the JUI-F chief said his party only wanted to register its reservations over the ruling party’s attitude of not taking its allies into confidence on issues of national importance.
