ISLAMABAD, OCT 6 – President Asif Ali Zardari on Monday called Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi to Karachi for an urgent meeting as tensions continued to rise between the Sindh and Punjab governments, with the PPP staging a walkout from the National Assembly and Senate.
The PPP and PML-N are coalition partners in the Centre.
A post on X from the presidency said today that Zardari and Naqvi held a telephonic conversation related to the ongoing row between the Sindh and Punjab governments.
“President Asif Ali Zardari spoke to Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi over the phone to discuss the recent tensions between the Sindh and Punjab governments. The president has called the interior minister to Karachi for an urgent meeting in this regard,” the post said.
The PPP and the PML-N’s Punjab leadership have been engaged in a war of words for the past many days over issues ranging from flood compensation to water rights in the context of the Cholistan canals project. The PPP, which is in power in Sindh, has been particularly incensed by Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s remarks, whose party is also leading the federal government.
The war of words between the two sides initially kicked off over flood compensation but expanded to water rights on the Indus River as CM Maryam told the PPP leadership to keep its advice to itself.
In response, the PPP lawmakers decided to stay away from parliamentary proceedings last week to protest the diatribe. PPP and PML-N bigwigs subsequently met in Islamabad to find a way out of the row, with the former asking CM Maryam to “rethink her tone” while speaking about water rights of the provinces.
However, she declared on Friday that she would never apologise to the PPP over her outburst, while the latter said she did not represent the people of Punjab as her government was a byproduct of Form 47.
The now-shelved six-canal project had turned out to be a cause of contention between Punjab and Sindh. Approval for the project was denied at the CCI after protests following the initiative’s launch by CM Maryam and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met his elder brother and PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif on Saturday and discussed with him the ‘growing tensions’ between the PPP and PML-N, requesting him to play his part in cooling off the tempers.
Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon alleged a day ago that the Punjab government was taking his party’s cover to “target” the federal government.
Partners continue to trade barbs as PPP stages walkout from Senate, NA
The coalition partners continued to trade barbs today as Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari vented that the province had always played the role of a “big brother” during any natural calamity.
She said the Punjab cabinet expressed regret that when the province passed through the challenges of the recent floods, the moment was seized and used for the sake of politics and interests.
“The chief minister said she was saddened and, in her own words: ‘It is difficult for me to forget this. I didn’t expect that Punjab would be treated this way.’”
Bokhari also assailed Memon for his remarks and said a “planted campaign” was being run against CM Maryam.
“Ask all these people doing press conferences what they have done for flood affectees,” she said, also taking a dig at Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab.
The Punjab minister further said that she accepted Memon’s challenge to have a debate.
Responding to her, PPP Senator Quratulain Marri said Bokhari had a “phobia” of Sindh.
“PML-N’s declaration of war against Sindh is a dangerous precedent, the consequences of which will not be good for the country,” she said.
Marri also reiterated Memon’s allegation that the Punjab government was actually targeting the PPP to weaken the Centre and PM Shehbaz.
In a video message, PPP Senator and Senior Vice President Sherry Rehman said the party had said nothing to suggest that it was manipulating the issue of floods and aid for politics.
“If we are demanding relief for the people of Punjab and someone feels bad about it, that’s strange; Punjab is not anyone’s personal estate.”
Speaking in the Senate later, she said the PPP had great concerns and the federation was in “sheer need” of stability amid the devastation wrought by the floods.
She said it was “clear” that the “war of words” between Punjab and Sindh was affecting the federal coalition, saying that the PPP strove to maintain unity during tough times but when “lines were crossed”, the “Punjab card” was used and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari’s run as foreign minister was criticised, then such statements and remarks crossed the bounds of criticism and decency.
Rehman added that the PPP had never managed a coalition before in such a manner and said that apologising did not lead to a decline in self-respect and stature but only increased them.
“If our leadership is not apologised to, then the PPP is the biggest party in the Senate, count the numbers, we are by far the biggest party in this House and don’t take our support for granted in the coalition benches. We don’t want to break anything, but don’t take our support for granted. That is very clear,” she announced before leading a walkout of PPP senators from the proceedings.
Responding to her, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said everyone had a right to protest under a democratic system, but ebbs and peaks were also a part of it.
Tarar said he tried his best in the National Assembly that the recent statements from both sides did not affect parliamentary functioning. He highlighted that PML-N Senator and PM aide Rana Sanaullah had assured the PPP in the Senate that water distribution from the Indus River would only be carried out under the Irsa pact.
The law minister also appreciated that Rehman voiced her party’s grievances in a “very sophisticated” manner, adding that President Zardari and Nawaz were both leaders favouring “reconciliation”.
Addressing the opposition, the law minister stressed that the ongoing tensions were an “ordinary change in temperatures”.
At this point, Senate Deputy Chairman Syedaal Khan, who hails from the PML-N, called on his party’s Anusha Rehman and Khalil Tahir Sandhu, as well as on Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan’s Amir Waliuddin Chishti to go and convince the PPP lawmakers to return to the Upper House.
Meanwhile, PTI Senator Ali Zafar quipped that they were witnessing a “historic contest” between the coalition allies.
“The contest is very interesting. It is about who served [the people] better during the floods.”
The PTI senator said that “surely the PPP prepared and may have prevented Sindh from being flooded, but only in books, not in reality”.
Noting the Punjab government’s assertions of providing ample rescue and relief services, Zafar claimed, “Surely they must have given the aid, but this is strange and perplexing aid because it did not reach the flood victims, but perhaps went into their pockets.”
The PTI senator assailed both government parties for contesting over “who held more press conferences rather than who built more houses”.
Meanwhile, in the National Assembly, PTI MNA Asad Qaiser welcomed the PPP’s “friendly fire” amid applause from the opposition. “I feel that if they are serious, they should come and present a vote of no confidence, we will side with them.”
His suggestion came after PPP MNA Raja Pervaiz Ashraf said that it was hard for his party to continue to participate in proceedings until it was given assurances by Punjab or any other authority.
Ashraf subsequently led a walkout of PPP lawmakers from the Lower House.
