CM Hamza gets 'more excuses' to delay Punjab cabinet expansion.

LAHORE -- Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz has got yet another excuse to delay the expansion of the provincial cabinet after Lahore High Court recently hinted at run-off poll for the CM's office and by-elections being held on 20 seats in the province on July 17.

As Hamza has been running the government with eight cabinet members for about a month, there has been internal party pressure to include more.

'Hamza, with the blessing of his father Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, has managed to delay expansion of the provincial cabinet for one more month at least,' a party insider told Dawn on Wednesday.

Even some names given by PML-N vice-president Maryam Nawaz for their inclusion in the cabinet are not being entertained by Hamza and company, he says.

'Earlier Hamza had conveyed to Maryam, Aleem Khan (a leader of PTI dissidents) and some senior PML-N lawmakers that cabinet expansion would be made on June 27 and their recommended names will be accommodated. Now, he got an excuse that as the LHC may order run-off election for the CM's office, therefore it will not be wise to go for cabinet expansion,' he says, adding Mr Hamza is following in the footsteps of his father who ran the government in Punjab in the past with only a handful of ministers.

Another PML-N leader blames 'Panch payarey (favourite five)' for running the whole government along with their boss (Hamza). 'Actually, three of these five ministers, who have been assigned portfolios, are more influential and closer to Hamza. So they conveniently manage to deflect any pressure coming from within the party for expansion of the cabinet,' he says.

Interestingly, Hamza Shehbaz would blame President Dr Arif Alvi and former governor Omar Sarfraz Cheema for creating hurdles in the cabinet formation, but now [after getting the excuses] he is in no hurry to have a full cabinet.

'Even 'displeasure' has been conveyed to Hamza from London [where PML-N Quaid Nawaz Sharif has been living since Nov 2019] for not expanding the cabinet, but he is adamant about having his own working plan,' the PML-N leader from Punjab further says.

'Hamza thinks that expansion in the cabinet may cause problems for the party ahead of July 17 by-polls as many lawmakers will be annoyed. Therefore, it is better to buy more time,' he says.

Still without portfolios

Of the eight cabinet members, Hamza has so far given portfolios to three - Atta Tarar (home), Malik Ahmad Khan (law) and Awais Leghari (temporary portfolio of...