ISLAMABAD, Aug 6: The ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Q is fraught with serious internal differences on the question of party constitution’s violation as well as on the requirement under the Political Parties Order to separate party and public offices.

Besides, the PML-Q workers are said to have grown bitter with the party government for failing to attend to their grievances during the eight months in power, party insiders said.

Chaudhry Shujaat, the sources claimed, was facing a dilemma as the Sindh party president Ghaus Bakhsh Maher has demanded Chaudhry Pervez Elahi’s resignation from the party office first before he is asked to follow suit.

If the party crisis is not overcome, it has the potential to break the PML-Q from within.

The PML-Q chief had earlier attended the party’s political committee meeting on Tuesday which also took serious note of the differences among the party leadership.

Mr Shujaat, said the sources, will have to take a decision about ‘re-organization’ of the party, including replacement of the party office-bearers and to remove the party workers grievances in the next few days.

He had a series of meetings at the residence of PML-Q secretary-general Salim Saifullah Khan on Wednesday with different groups from Sindh, the NWFP and Balochistan.

First, he met leaders from Sindh including Captain Haleem Siddiqi, Sahibzada Munir and Mustajab. Then he held a meeting with NWFP’s acting president Syed Ali Shah and, lastly, he received Sarwar Kakar from Balochistan. Lt-Gen Majeed Malik, Salim Saifullah Khan and Azeeem Chaudhry were also present.

None of the four provincial party presidents have resigned from their posts after being elevated either to a high public office or higher party office.

Prime minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali has taken serious notice of this anomaly but owing to the strong position of the Chaudhrys could not undo it. In an outrage during the party CWC recently, he said: “I have set my own example by resigning the party office the day I took over premiership”.

Another factor which is tearing the party cadres apart is the party’s indecision on many issues, particularly its grouping in support of the upcoming CDA bargain agent’s elections.

“No minister from the PPP Patriot, or the National Alliance except for a few from the PML-Q attends to the party workers’ grievances,” a party old guard told Dawn.

A writ petition filed in the SHC challenging the keeping of provincial party office by the Sindh chapter president after having been inducted in the federal cabinet has sent shock waves through the party.