
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leaders from Punjab poured out a deluge of complaints against the Maryam Nawaz-led Punjab government during a meeting with President Asif Ali Zardari, who offered no concrete assurances for resolving the concerns, according to sources
President Zardari, who was in Punjab for equestrian events, met with Punjab Governor Sardar Salim Haider Khan and PPP's parliamentary party members at the Governor's House on Wednesday. Former Punjab Governor Makhdoom Ahmed Mehmood was also present.
During the meeting, party leaders voiced frustration over what they termed the Punjab government's failure to honour coalition agreements, particularly regarding administrative matters.
Their grievances centred on the alleged mistreatment by the provincial administration.
Sources privy to the meeting revealed that PPP leaders lamented being treated as a "friendly opposition" rather than coalition partners, neglecting their administrative concerns, even in areas where they hold a majority.
They claimed their constituencies were neglected in development projects, lamenting that the government machinery turns a deaf ear to their concerns, refusing to acknowledge them in the slightest.
The leaders urged Zardari to escalate the issue to the federal level, saying that multiple previous meetings that have taken place in the recent past failed to yield results.
They also warned that the current arrangement was a thorn in the PPP's side in Punjab. A leader also apprised the president of the worsening security situation in South Punjab.
President Zardari, according to insiders, assured the leaders that he would take up the matter with the PML-N leadership but reminded them that the coalition was formed out of necessity rather than choice.
He reportedly conveyed that the issues would be addressed before the next budget while acknowledging the PPP's efforts to hold the PML-N accountable to their commitments. He urged party leaders to roll up their sleeves and work harder to ensure the PPP's comeback in the province while amplifying public concerns.
However, a Punjab leader expressed scepticism about the assurances, saying that it only indicated that the provincial leaders had little choice but to soldier on under the same arrangement.
He claimed that Maryam Nawaz was too headstrong to heed advice – even from her uncle, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Nevertheless, he asserted that, at least for now, the PPP would not part ways with the coalition for Punjab's sake.
The meeting was attended by PPP parliamentary leader Ali Haider Gillani, Sardar Mumtaz Ali Chang, Mian Wasif Mazhar Raan, Rais Nabeel, Rana Iqbal Siraj, Qazi Ahmed Saeed, Mian Kamran Abdullah Mural, Syed Aamir Shah, Habibur Rehman Chang, Inam Bari, Nargis Faiz Malik, Neelum Jabbar and Shazia Abid.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ