Former Foreign Minister Sartaj Aziz, appointed Advisor to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs and National Security, is upset with former envoy Tariq Fatemi, named a Special Assistant to the premier, over the latter's efforts to exert complete control of the Foreign Office, sources in the PML-N said.
Matters reached a head after Fatemi summoned US Charge d'Affaires Richard Hoagland to the Foreign Office on June 8 to protest a recent drone strike in Pakistan's tribal belt.
During a recent trip by German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle to Islamabad, Fatemi conveyed through official channels to Berlin that he would lead the Pakistani delegation for talks with the visiting dignitary, sources said.
Fatemi also made it clear that he would address a joint press stakeout with Westerwelle, the sources added.
Such actions have not gone down well with the 84-year-old Aziz, who served as Foreign and Finance Minister in Prime Minister Sharif's last government in the late 1990s.
Sharif decided to retain the crucial foreign affairs and defence portfolios with himself and appointed both Aziz and Fatemi to advise him on foreign policy issues.
Sources said it was expected that Fatemi would work in close coordination with Aziz, who has had a longer association with the PML-N and Sharif.
Aziz is "unhappy" with the latest developments, including a perception that Fatemi is trying to take decisions without consulting him on crucial issues, the sources said.