PPP, PML-N rift over governance widens

Bilawal shuns meetings with Dar; embarks on foreign tour

LAHORE:

A rift seems to have opened between the PML-N and its key ally, the PPP, as Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari embarked on a foreign tour without holding any meetings with Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, despite requests from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to resolve ongoing concerns.

The meeting had been requested by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to address PPP's concerns regarding the government's failure to meet its commitments.

Meanwhile, the PPP has established its own high-level committee to engage with the government.

According to reports, despite the prime minister's instructions for Dar to meet with Bilawal, the meeting never took place. The advisor to the PM also stated that the deputy prime minister would meet with Bilawal to resolve these issues.

Conflicting accounts of the development emerged. Based on media reports and a PPP source, one account suggested Bilawal did not meet with Dar and instead formed a committee to engage with the government.

Another account, however, claims that Bilawal conveyed his decision to form a committee before requesting the government to establish its own, which would include Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz.

In a statement issued by the PPP, Bilawal announced the formation of a high-level committee to engage with the federal government and raise the party's concerns.

The committee includes Raja Pervez Ashraf, Naveed Qamar, Sherry Rehman, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfaraz Bugti, Makhdoom Ahmed Mahmoud, Punjab Governor Sardar Saleem Hyder, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi, and Haider Gilani.

The committee will interact with the federal government and present its findings at the Central Executive Committee (CEC) meeting next month.

Earlier this week, Bilawal expressed frustration with PML-N, accusing the party of violating agreements and failing to offer PPP the respect it deserved within the federal government. He stressed that the issue was no longer about politics but about the party's honour and political integrity.

Bilawal criticised the government's failure to adhere to agreements, particularly regarding constitutional reforms, and pointed out discrepancies in policy implementation.

Meanwhile, PPP parliamentary leader in Punjab, Ali Haider Gillani, who is also a member of the newly formed committee, stated that if the party's concerns were not addressed, PPP would be prepared to sit on the opposition benches.

He clarified, however, that the PPP would not seek to destabilise the government but would simply shift to the opposition both at the Centre and in Punjab.

Gillani further explained that the committee would finalise its terms of reference (TORs) in the coming days and that the government had been asked to form its own committee, which should include the Punjab chief minister to ensure that commitments are enforced.

Regarding reports that Bilawal had refused a meeting with Dar out of frustration, Gillani acknowledged that previous interactions with Dar had failed to yield results. However, he added that this time, the issues had been handed over to a committee to address.

He quipped, "Mr Dar does not have the teeth to enforce PML-N's end of commitments, so any meeting with him would have borne no fruit anyway".