Dateline Report
ISLAMABAD: In a significant development, Rana Sanaullah, the Punjab President of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), has been appointed as the adviser to the Prime Minister on political and public affairs. The decision was approved by President Asif Ali Zardari on the advice of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif under Article 93(1) of the Constitution. Sanaullah will hold the rank of a federal minister in his new role.
The appointment follows recent discussions between Sanaullah and the Prime Minister, as confirmed by Sanaullah himself during an appearance on private tv channel program .’ It was agreed during the meeting that the matter of Sanaullah’s inclusion in the federal government would be decided by PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif upon his return from China.
This move comes just two days after another significant appointment within the PML-N government, where Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, a close confidant of Nawaz Sharif, was appointed as the deputy prime minister. This decision, although unexpected, received minimal criticism from the party’s allies.
Sanaullah, who previously served as the interior minister in the Pakistan Democratic Movement-led government, played a crucial role in managing the PML-N’s electoral campaign for the February 8 general polls. However, despite his efforts, he lost the contest for NA-100 (Faisalabad-VI) to PTI-backed Dr. Nisar Jutt, receiving 112,403 votes against Jutt’s 131,996.
