Shehbaz meets PPP leadership amid discontent among allies

Ex-president Zardari, FM Bilawal attend meeting; PML-N' s Saad Rafique, Ayaz Sadiq among others also in attendance

ISLAMABAD:

Amid growing discontent between the allied coalition government parties, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met with Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leaders, including former president Asif Ali Zardari and Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto, on Thursday to discuss the ongoing political situation in the country.

The meeting was attended by other high-level politicians including Federal Minister for Interior Rana Sanaullah, former National Assembly speaker and Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Minister for Railways and Aviation Khawaja Saad Rafique and PML-N leader Malik Ahmad Khan.

The meeting came after allies complained of lack of development funds during the National Assembly session on Monday, and said that the government was not fulfilling the promises made to them at the time of the no-confidence motion against former prime minister Imran Khan.

Aslam Bhootani and Khalid Magsi, both from Balochistan, as well as Osama Qadri from Sindh, said that the government had not allocated funds for their constituencies. They added that the allies were now being ignored.

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“We joined the coalition out of respect for [Prime Minister] Shehbaz Sharif and [former president] Asif Zardari. But now, no one listens to us,” Bhootani said.

He added that during the previous government’s tenure, “we were not respected but we got funds”.

“Now that their work is done,” Bhootani continued, referring to the success of the no-confidence motion, “the allies are forgotten”. He maintained that Zardari and Shehbaz “respect us but do not give us the development funds”.

‘Limited to advisory role’

Earlier, PPP Information Secretary Faisal Kareem Kundi had claimed that the PPP was only giving its advice to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, while the decisions, financial or otherwise, were the prerogative of the government.

Talking to The Express Tribune, Kundi said if the PPP – which is the second largest party in the coalition after the ruling PML-N – came to power at the Centre, only then it would take decisions of its choosing.

“The PPP is limited to an advisory role only. The party gives advice when and where it is needed,” Kundi said. “The decisions are the prerogative of the prime minister and his party,” Kundi said, when asked why the PPP was not able to turn around the economy.