On Saturday, the PPP, after a meeting of its Central Executive Committee (CEC), said it was giving its coalition ally, the ruling PML-N, more time to meet its demands.
The two parties are partners in the federation, although the PPP does not have a presence in the cabinet. Disagreement between the ruling allies first emerged last month, shortly after heavy monsoon rains and floods devastated parts of Punjab and other provinces. The PPP pushed for the BISP to be used to provide immediate relief to flood-affected families, a demand that was resisted by the Punjab government.
Tensions deepened when PPP leaders publicly criticized the Punjab government, accusing it of politicizing aid and sidelining the federal aid mechanism. On the other hand, PML-N ministers also expressed frustration, with Rana Sanaullah calling for a complete overhaul of the BISP and arguing that its current structure was inadequate.
The technical disagreement soon turned into a political confrontation, with both ruling allies launching counter-accusations almost daily. In early October, the PPP walked out of the Senate and National Assembly sessions to protest what it called insults from the Punjab PML-N leadership over the controversial Cholistan canal project and criticism of the PPP administration in Sindh.
Today’s CEC meeting was held on the 18th anniversary of the 2007 Karsaz bombing, when two explosions ripped through former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto’s homecoming procession, killing more than 180 people.
PPP Vice Chairperson Senator Sherry Rehman, Sindh Chief Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon and PPP leader Nadeem Afzal Chan addressed a press conference after the meeting, where Rehman said the PPP chairperson discussed the use of BISP to disburse relief funds to those affected by the floods.
“The world recognizes BISP and knows that those affected by the floods need immediate assistance at their doorstep,” the senator said. “If your door has been vandalized then aid can be disbursed directly into your account.”
“We have demanded that the first tranche of aid be disbursed. Instead of engaging in political confusion, the government should review how we immediately distribute aid through the BISP during the 2022 floods,” he added.
“We want the federal government to take note of President Bilawal’s demands and disburse aid to the affected areas.”
Chan added that the party has decided to give the federal government more time to meet its demands, including using the BISP to provide relief funds to those affected by the flood in Punjab.
Other demands included changes to the system for electing local government bodies in Punjab, addressing rising energy costs and the importation of crops.
“There are some promises that the prime minister promised to keep during our last meeting,” Chan said. “He said ‘these are people’s issues’ and asked for time. Today at the CEC, the president and the president gave a full briefing and the meeting decided to give the [PML-N] leadership longer.”
However, our demands, which are those of the public, still stand,” he added. “When we have our next CCA, hopefully in a few months, we will review the situation.”
On Thursday, PPP leaders met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and other PML-N leaders, with the ruling party saying it valued and respected its coalition ally.
“The prime minister agreed to use BISP to help flood victims and that the PPP will be taken into account during decision-making on flood victims and farmers,” Chan said. Sunrise after Thursday’s meeting.
Chan said the prime minister had accepted all the PPP’s demands “because they were justified and logical.”
