PM tasks speakers to address PPP concerns

LAHORE:

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has instructed the speakers of the National Assembly and Punjab provincial assembly to take steps to address the concerns raised by the PPP, a party that has been propping up the PML-N led coalition government without actually becoming a part of it.

The directive came on Sunday during a consultative session held in Lahore attended by NA Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq and Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan.

According to officials, the participants reviewed the current political situation while also discussing the PPP's grievances as well as the PTI's protest march which left for Islamabad on Sunday, raising concerns about potential political instability.

On November 22, PM Shehbaz established an 11-member committee after PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari voiced frustration over the PML-N leadership's approach to coalition governance.

The committee, including Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, and Economic Affairs Minister Ahad Khan Cheema, was tasked with facilitating "political cooperation and conflict resolution" between the parties.

According to a statement issued from the PM's Office, the committee would work with PPP representatives to outline a path forward through dialogue.

Earlier, on Saturday, Punjab Governor Sardar Saleem Haider Khan, who belongs to the PPP, urged the PM to intervene in order to resolve the differences between the two parties, which have a long history of political confrontation.

During his meeting with Punjab Assembly Deputy Speaker Zaheer Iqbal Channar, the governor had also urged the PML-N led Punjab government to honor its commitment with the PPP, stating that the committee formed by the two parties to resolve issues have yielded no results.

Khan said a functional coalition between the PML-N and the PPP would be beneficial for the country, warning that if the coalition government fails, it would primarily harm the PML-N, which currently leads the government.

Last week, Bilawal had criticized the PML-N led federal government for failing to honor commitments to the PPP. He alleged that the PML-N government had not consulted with the PPP on policy matters such as the recent crackdown against the Virtual Private Networks (VPNs and restrictions imposed on internet access. He had also expressed concern about the proposed amendments to the IRSA Act to pave the way for construction of more canals on the River Indus.