PPP hits govt over broken promises

Bilawal leads charge as coalition tensions escalate on multiple grievances

KARACHI:

Amid mounting grievances over what it describes as broken promises and unilateral decisions by the federal government, the PPP leadership convened on Monday to review the political, policy, and development challenges it faces in the provinces—particularly Punjab—and at the federal level.

As an ally of the PML-N government, the PPP also assessed the ruling party's repeated failure to consult it on key issues in a timely manner and the unfulfilled commitments made to the PPP, both in Punjab and at the federal level.

The PPP leadership deliberated upon the issues in a meeting of the PPP's coordination committee, which was chaired by Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, at Bilawal House Karachi. The party's meeting was called to discuss the "ongoing political challenges".

"On reservations with the federal government," an official statement stated, "lack of timely consultation on political, policy and legislative matters, inability to implement commitments were identified as key stumbling blocks to be addressed."

The statement said that the members recounted their ongoing and unresolved issues from Punjab, South Punjab, Balochistan and Sindh as well as "political, policy and development challenges at the federal level."

It added that policy issues such as flood rehabilitation, water management controversies, challenges to the agricultural and digital economy and public interest legislation were discussed in detail.

Meanwhile, the official statement said, the party also took note of the rise in the incidents of terrorism and stressed the need to create consensus among the stakeholders to address the issue.

"Members also noted the growing surge in terrorism in the country and the absence of a new consensus to combat the new challenges resulting from new ground realities," it read.

Subsequently, it maintained, the PPP Chairman directed committee members to "engage with political parties to determine on what issues political consensus can be formed," to present recommendations before the Party's central executive committee (CEC) later this month.

Earlier, amid growing rifts with the federal govt, Bilawal had formed a committee to engage directly with the PML-N-led federal government with directions to the committee to report back to the party's CEC next month.

While the committee's formation signals a willingness to negotiate, the PPP leaders have made it clear that its patience is running thin. With the power to destabilise the coalition, the party's next steps could have significant implications for the government's stability.

The committee, comprising senior PPP leaders and provincial heads, marks a significant step in the party's efforts to hold its coalition partner accountable.

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

The formation of the committee reflects PPP's growing frustration with what it perceives as a breach of agreements by its coalition partner, time & again. This move follows Bilawal's public expression of frustration over the federal government's governance style and failure to respect coalition agreements.

Speaking to journalists a week ago, Bilawal had also accused the PML-N of sidelining PPP on key decisions, including the controversial approval of a new canal project from the Indus River—an issue PPP claims was decided without consultation or consensus.

Bilawal had pointed out that there is no national consensus on the project. He had "criticised the federal government for failing to implement the promised equality during constitutional amendments."

Bilawal had revealed that he "withdrew from the Judicial Commission in protest," stating that if he had stayed, he would have addressed the disparities in the constitutional bench.

He emphasised that if there were judges from rural Sindh on the Supreme Court, he would advocate for equality as the highest judicial institution requires fair representation. He asserted that a country cannot operate under two separate systems as different treatment for Sindh is repeatedly apparent.

"This is not about mere discontent," Bilawal had said. "True politics is based on respect, and the government coalition must adhere to its agreements." The PPP and PML-N had struck a post-election agreement to divide key constitutional positions, including the offices of President and Prime Minister.

While the PPP remains on the treasury benches, it has opted to distance itself from directly joining the federal government.

Sources within the PPP disclosed that following Bilawal's sharp criticism, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar reached out to the PPP leadership in an effort to ease tensions. While Dar's outreach reportedly calmed some tempers, the formation of a committee indicates the PPP's firm stance on its demand for accountability.