PM Shehbaz forms 11-member committee to address PPP's grievances

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has established an 11-member committee to address concerns raised by the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) after PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari voiced frustration over the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leadership's approach to coalition governance.

The move follows Bilawal’s recent public criticism of the federal government for failing to honour commitments to the PPP. His grievances included a lack of consultation on policy matters such as the recent shutdown of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) and internet restrictions, as well as the canals agreement passed without PPP’s input.

The committee, composed of key ministers and advisors, including Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Muhammad Ishaq Dar, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, and Economic Affairs Minister Ahad Khan Cheema, has been tasked with facilitating “political cooperation and conflict resolution” between the parties, read a statement from the PM’s Office.

The committee will work with PPP representatives to outline a path forward through dialogue, the PMO added.

The PM’s response comes after Bilawal condemned what he termed as “the government’s failure to meet agreements with PPP.” Bilawal expressed disappointment over decisions made without PPP input, specifically regarding internet restrictions, which he argued were poorly considered. 

"The federal government does not understand the basics of VPNs," he said, noting that the restrictions impact privacy and digital access across the country.

Another point of contention was the canals agreement, which Bilawal claimed was passed while he was engaged in the 26th Amendment bill. 

He criticised the central government for bypassing the PPP on a significant issue that impacts provincial water rights, adding that the government had also reneged on its commitment to provide provinces with a fair share of resources as agreed during negotiations on the constitutional amendments.

In a parallel move, the PPP formed its own nine-member committee to address these disputes with the federal government. 

This group, which includes prominent leaders such as former prime minister Raja Pervez Ashraf, federal ministers Naveed Qamar and Sherry Rehman, as well as chief ministers of Sindh and Balochistan, will engage with government officials to resolve concerns and report back to the PPP’s Central Executive Committee next month.