ISLAMABAD: In an unusual development, Federal Information Minister Shibli Faraz Wednesday stopped Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Political Communication Dr Shahbaz Gill from speaking to media, in what came as an indication that the minister was unhappy with some government functionaries who were allegedly “stepping into his domain.”

“You should not stand with media persons. It’s my job to speak to media. You cannot do that. You have been doing that for quite some time. Don’t do that,” Faraz was seen telling Gill in the lobby of Parliament House.

“I am going to address a press conference. I will share details with media about today’s meeting [of PTI Parliamentary Party],” Faraz said.

‘What happened—why are you angry?” Gill asked the minister who walked away hurriedly. A visibly embarrassed Gill also left the scene immediately without speaking to reporters present there.

A cabinet member, requesting anonymity, told Business Recorder that the information minister believed that Gill was ‘leaking’ the details of high-level government meetings to some reporters. On Wednesday, the minister ‘suspected’ that the SAPM was sharing with media the details of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Parliamentary Party meeting presided over by Prime Minister Imran Khan.

The source said the information minister is also unhappy with some other cabinet members who repeatedly hold press conferences or media talks and mostly speak on the issues unrelated to their ministries.—SARDAR SIKANDER SHAHEEN