The Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid's (PML-Q) reported differences with the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) spilled out into the open on Saturday as a video emerged of the former's leaders complaining to PTI's Jahangir Tareen about Punjab Governor Chaudhry Sarwar "interference".

The emergence of the video, released by the PML-Q media cell itself, led Punjab Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi to call a press conference to reaffirm ties with the PTI, of which his party (PML-Q) is a coalition partner.

The video showed three PML-Q leaders — Elahi, MNA Tariq Bashir Cheema and Minister for Mines and Minerals Hafiz Ammar Yasir — chatting with PTI stalwart Jahangir Tareen in an informal setting.

Towards the end of the video, Cheema can be heard telling Tareen: "Sir, kindly control this Sarwar. He will not let your chief minister continue." Elahi can be heard repeating the same: "Control this Sarwar." The video then ends abruptly.

Examine: The weakling: Sardar Usman Buzdar

Elahi downplayed the video at a press conference later, saying it was normal for coalition partners to sit down and talk their "grievances" out.

"If we don't talk with our partners sitting at home, then how will the party function and complaints be addressed?" the provincial assembly speaker asked.

Explaining what had transpired during the meeting, Elahi said Cheema was presenting before Tareen an "old complaint" regarding "interference" in his constituency, allegedly by Sarwar. He said similar complaints have been received from 2-3 constituencies.

The speaker said it was routine practice to forward the grievances of "ignored members" of a party with their coalition partners.

He revealed that the PML-Q will support the PTI in the Senate by-polls scheduled for November 15, as it has in past elections, and so it was customary that grievances are sorted out prior to the elections "or else the anger is expressed at the secret ballot".

"We have very good relations with Sarwar sahib... and they will remain the same," he iterated, adding that complaints are being sorted out as they emerge.

He suggested that the grievances were put before the PTI as it sought PML-Q's votes for the Senate by-polls. Asked what assurance Tareen had given the PML-Q in response to the complaints, Elahi said with a laugh: "He promised us the same that we do with our voters."

In response to a question, he said Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar was playing his constitutional role and taking decisions "freely", and that his party supports him in his efforts.

'100% MPAs united under Buzdar's leadership'

Commenting on the questions raised by the video about how much authority Buzdar actually wields in the province, Punjab Information and Culture Minister Fayyazul Hassan Chohan said all lawmakers were functioning under the chief minister's command.

"100 per cent MPAs and 100pc ministers of Punjab's treasury benches are united under the leadership of Sardar Usman Buzdar," he told Abbtakk news channel.

He stressed that the entire provincial bureaucracy and administration is answerable to Chief Minister Buzdar.

Talking to DawnNewsTV, he said there are no differences between the PML-Q and PTI.