An interior ministry spokesperson on Wednesday, speaking on behalf of Chaudhry Nisar, dismissed media reports stating that efforts were being made to placate the interior minister and that he is angry with the PML-N leadership.

"The truth is that the interior minister had adopted a contrary position on some important matters in the PML-N's internal meetings, after which he was excluded from the consultative process," the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said the interior minister is seeking an explanation for his exclusion from the PML-N's meetings, and wants to know if the decision was made due to his opposing stance, or due to some other reason.

The interior ministry spokesperson further said that unless a clarification is provided, "it will be difficult to resolve problems in a positive manner."

The statement followed reports on Wednesday that it was unlikely that Nisar would make his political differences with the PML-N leadership public after he was reportedly assured that no change in the chain of command of the federal government would be made against his wishes.

A senior official of the PML-N had spoken to Dawn, stating that Nisar's change of heart came when Finance Minister Ishaq Dar called on him and assured him that no minister junior to him would be nominated as prime minister in the event that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is disqualified by the Supreme Court in the Panama Papers case.

The official said that Nisar had differed with the prime minister over a plan to appoint any minister other than the interior minister as a stopgap arrangement in case the premier was disqualified by the apex court.

The interior minister, who had also reportedly been against the way the government had fought the Panamagate case, had twice invited the media to make an "important announcement".

He had deferred the press conference both times, the latter time in deference to the victims of the Ferozepur Road bombing attack in Lahore.