As whispers of a behind-closed-doors meeting, President Asif Ali Zardari's visit to Jati Umrah — where he was hosted by the Sharif family — has sparked quiet speculation within the PPP ranks about whether their leaders will continue criticising Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz with the same candour as before.
A well-placed PPP leader, speaking to The Express Tribune, expressed uncertainty over whether the party's tone towards the chief minister would now be reined in following the high-profile but discreet political huddle.
Repeated attempts to get clarity from senior figures in both PPP and PML-N went unanswered, particularly on this point.
Two PPP leaders, requesting anonymity, confirmed that Zardari and Punjab Governor Sardar Saleem Haider were hosted by Maryam Nawaz Sharif over the weekend.
However, they could not ascertain who else from the Sharif family was present. One believed Shehbaz Sharif may have attended the meeting, while the other suspected Nawaz Sharif himself was among the hosts.
Given the hush-hush nature of the gathering, neither leader was aware of the content of the discussions.
However, they speculated that the meeting might help defuse tensions and smooth over working relations between the chief minister and the governor, a partnership that has not been without its share of friction.
One of the leaders pointed out that with the PTI effectively out of the formal political arena, the political contest in Punjab had boiled down to a "duel" between the PPP and PML-N. He said that under such circumstances, the PPP could not afford to be seen maintaining overtly cordial ties with the PML-N, at least not in public.
"Punjab is of utmost importance if the PPP is to form the central government. We may not realistically aim to form the provincial government in Punjab, but unless the PML-N feels genuinely threatened on its home turf, it will never concede space to Bilawal Bhutto Zardari in the next term for the prime ministership," he argued.
The same leader claimed that, according to information received through party lines, some members had been "communicated to take it easy" on their criticism of the Sharifs.
However, he added, it remained unclear whether this advice was rooted in formal instructions or simply a cautious reading of the political temperature.
The other PPP leader, however, vehemently denied receiving any such communication from the party leadership. "We will continue our constructive criticism of this government," he maintained.
He further said that his own biggest question was why Zardari had remained in Lahore for the past seven days. "Something feels out of place about this trip." He noted that all arrangements at the Governor House had been made at the eleventh hour and in great haste.
According to him, one explanation might be that the governor himself is not particularly invested in the upkeep of his official residence.
However, he added a more speculative observation: "It seems no one knew exactly about the duration or purpose of Zardari's stay, especially at the Governor House."
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