PTI moves to exploit coalition split, calls on PPP to oust PML-N govt

Taking advantage of the widening rift within the ruling coalition, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf invited the Pakistan Peoples Party to join hands in tabling a no-confidence motion against the government.

During a National Assembly session on Monday, former speaker and PTI leader Asad Qaiser urged the PPP to stop engaging in “friendly fire” and instead take a bold political step.

“PPP should show courage and move a no-confidence motion against the government instead of playing a mock political game,” Qaiser said while reacting to the ongoing war of words between the PPP and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz.

The PPP has yet to respond to the PTI’s offer.

Aso Read: Cracks widen in govt alliance as PPP stages walkout from NA, Senate

Meanwhile, Senator Barrister Ali Zafar of PTI criticised both the PPP and the PML-N for what he described as political theatrics amid a national crisis during a Senate session on Monday.

He said the two ruling coalition partners appeared to be in a contest — not to help the flood victims — but to outdo each other in press conferences and photo opportunities. “Aid hasn’t reached the victims; perhaps it has reached their own pockets,” he remarked.

Zafar accused both parties of long-running misgovernance, stating, “PPP and PML-N have ruled this country the most, yet they shamelessly compete over who has deceived the nation less.”

He lamented that while the people were in agony, flood-affected families continued to suffer without relief. “Children of flood victims are still sleeping hungry under the open sky,” he said.

Despite the suffering, he added, both parties insisted on being awarded for their performance. “On behalf of PTI, I award them a trophy for insensitivity, incompetence, and greed,” he quipped.

Citing the scale of devastation in Punjab, the senator revealed that 5,700 villages remain submerged, crops have been destroyed, and livestock have perished. “Farmers are living in uncertainty while 18 million people are severely affected,” he said, adding that 22,000 square kilometres of land had been impacted.

He further noted that 60% of the rice crop and 30% of the cotton crop had been wiped out, forcing the country to import nearly $3 billion worth of goods to meet demand. “Look at the situation — and yet these leaders are walking out of the House in arrogance,” he concluded.

PML-N, PPP meet to mend rift

The PML-N reached out to the PPP in an effort to defuse tensions following the latter’s protest and walkout from the Senate and National Assembly earlier in the day.

A delegation-level meeting between the two parties began in the Speaker’s Chamber at the Parliament House. The PPP delegation was led by former prime minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf and senior party leader Ejaz Jakhrani, while Deputy Speaker Ghulam Mustafa Shah was also in attendance.

Representing the PML-N were Speaker of the National Assembly Ayaz Sadiq, Rana Sanaullah, and Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry. Sources said the PML-N team would brief the PPP on the latest developments and attempt to address the grievances raised by the party.

Speaking to reporters before the meeting, Ashraf confirmed that the PML-N had reached out for talks. “Yes, the PML-N has contacted us, and we are now heading for the meeting,” he said.