PPP ups the ante over Punjab govt 'snub'
The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has raised concerns over the inaccessibility of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif and alleged that they've been left out in the cold by the provincial government's decision-making process.
These grievances were brought to light during a recent coordination committee meeting at the Governor House.
After a deep dive into PPP's complaints about broken promises and unmet agreements, it was decided to form a four-member sub-committee to get to the bottom of the issues.
The sub-committee, consisting of Hasan Murtaza, Nadeem Afzal Chan, Rana Sanaullah, and Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan, will investigate and deliver its findings to the coordination committee by Saturday.
The meeting, co-chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and former Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf, included attendees such as Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, Advisor to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah, Speaker of the Punjab Assembly Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan, Senior Provincial Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, Punjab Governor Sardar Saleem Haider, PPP Parliamentary Leader Ali Haider Gillani, and PPP senior leaders Nadeem Afzal Chan and Hasan Murtaza.
Hasan Murtaza indicated that many committee members were currently out of town, but once they return, a follow-up meeting will be held, and they'll submit reports to their respective conveners.
According to sources within PML-N, the PPP expressed frustration during a recent meeting over unmet promises made to them before the annual budget's passage.
The PPP pushed for a joint press conference with PML-N leaders to address the growing perception that they are merely scrambling for power in Punjab.
PPP aims to frame this power-sharing arrangement as a struggle for the people's rights, the PML-N source added.
Meanwhile, PPP's parliamentary leader Ali Haider Gilani aired grievances, stating that the party has yet to receive any development funds promised in prior agreements.
He lamented that the PPP has been sidelined in decision-making processes by the Punjab government.
He further said that positions on authority boards, Baitul Mal, Zakat, and Usher were not offered, and their members have not been included in district coordination committees.
He also pointed out that promises of law officers of their choosing have not been fulfilled, and the CM office has given them a lukewarm response when they sought assistance.
Nadeem Afzal Chan lamented the CM's inaccessibility, alleging that the chief minister's office has been a closed door. He stated that their participation in the alliance was without any demands – a statement furthest from the truth though.
Similarly, Governor Punjab Sardar Saleem seconded the concerns about the unmet promises expressed by the PPP leaders.
In defence, however, senior provincial minister Marriyum Aurangzeb highlighted the government's open-door policy on Thursdays and noted that provincial authority boards have yet to be reconstituted, which affects appointments.
She also mentioned that decisions regarding development funds are still pending.
Rana Sanaullah expressed his support for the fair distribution of funds and questioned how the PPP could demand development funds for those MPAs who were not even runners-up.
He clarified that where PTI candidates won, but the PPP candidate was a runner-up, funds could be allocated to them, but not otherwise.
On the other hand, PPP's Hasan Murtaza reiterated that his party's primary demand was to be included in the decision-making process. "We are, after all, part of this alliance, so we too are answerable for their actions," he said, adding that they have not demanded any positions from the government.
When asked if they had requested positions on authority boards and other committees, he admitted that they had, but questioned why it would be wrong for the PPP to have some representation there.
He reiterated that they had not made any unusual demands.
When further asked if they had requested development funds, he replied that it is the right of every member of the treasury benches to seek funds for their areas, so it is not an unusual request.
Regarding the complaint regarding Punjab CM Maryam Nawaz's unavailability, he jokingly remarked that she was not even accessible to her own MPAs.
He said that the next meeting was expected to take place in Islamabad.