PPP eyes opp benches in Punjab

LAHORE/NAWABSHAH:

Haunted by the fallout of the reconciliation with PML-N and stung by scathing criticism - a duel that many naysayers saw as shadow boxing - the PPP Punjab chapter is pushing to move to the opposition benches.

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq met President Asif Ali Zardari in Nawabshah and assured him stopping political mudslinging.

As Wednesday brought brief respite to the exchange of barbs between the two allies, with no hard-hitting press conferences nor any press releases to disparage the other, the intervention of the president - who stepped in to defuse the situation, instructing Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, his man in the cabinet, to intercede between them and the PML-N - raised hopes of a return to normalcy.

However, PPP Punjab claimed that the sail has passed the last harbour and entered a territory where sharing benches with the PML-N would be akin to political suicide for their provincial chapter. The kind of criticism that PPP sustained was not a knee-jerk reaction, but a well-planned attack designed to denigrate their leadership.

A source claimed that the PPP parliamentary leader in Punjab has already written to the central leadership to allow them to sit on the opposition benches to expose the Maryam Nawaz-led government's administrative shortcomings.

He said that the proposal will be put before the party executives in the party's Central Executive Committee (CEC) meeting scheduled to be held on October 18, where the party will deliberate upon the political situation and take decisions accordingly. He said the meeting is to be held in Karachi.

He said that as per their thought process, they were not asking the PPP to abandon the central government. Instead, they asked the party to green-light PPP's move to the opposition benches. He said the PML-N's indecent criticism of their leadership is what reinforced their thought process.

It is pertinent to mention here that the PPP in Punjab sitting on government benches or moving to opposition benches will have no real impact - in fact, moving to the opposition will help the PML-N more than those on the opposition benches.

Additionally, with the PPP consistently being accused of staging shadow boxing matches every few months with the PML-N, moving to the opposition benches will help them restore credibility.

With the opposition corner completely empty - since PTI remains an anathema for the establishment - room to cash in on anti-government sentiment is wide open, and the PPP wants to grab that opportunity.

Another noteworthy element is the withdrawal of security from Ali Haider Gillani, the parliamentary leader of PPP in Punjab, which might have prompted them to consider crossing over to the other side.

PPP Central Punjab General Secretary Hasan Murtaza said that the party will, in fact, consider the Punjab proposal to quit during the CEC meeting.

When asked about a purported letter, he claimed that internal correspondence, if any, was not for media consumption. "If and when a decision is taken, it would be made public," he said.

He added that the Punjab government was doing divisive politics, which was not only deepening provincial lines but also divisions between different regions within Punjab. "From where will Punjab get the additional water for canals?" he asked.

"Will they cut down on the share of some other district? They have already financially choked farmers. What else do they want to do?"

He said Maryam indirectly kept taking on the federal government during her addresses, which showed that this was an internal matter between her and Shehbaz Sharif, while PPP was only being used as a pawn.

He said the provincial government has practically devastated farmers - first abandoning them during the sale of wheat, and now importing sugar at the cusp of the sugarcane harvest season, which will push crop prices down.

PM summons senior party leaders

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has summoned senior leaders of the PML-N for high-level consultations as political tensions between Punjab and Sindh deepen, in the wake of the PPP walkout from the National Assembly earlier this week.

According to party sources, the prime minister will be briefed on the PPP's reservations and the circumstances surrounding its protest in the lower house. Both coalition partners are expected to hold delegation-level talks in Islamabad in the coming days to defuse the escalating rift.

Senior leaders from both parties will attend the meeting, with the schedule to be finalised soon. PML-N sources said that after a meeting between the party's delegation and President Asif Ali Zardari, federal ministers will brief Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who will then update party supremo Nawaz Sharif on the situation.

The sources added that the prime minister is likely to hold a separate meeting with President Zardari and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari in an attempt to restore coalition harmony.

Insiders said PM Shehbaz is personally spearheading efforts to end the political standoff between the PML-N and PPP, particularly after a series of verbal exchanges between leaders in Punjab and Sindh.

According to sources, the PML-N leadership is eager to arrange a one-on-one meeting between Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz to help ease provincial tensions.

Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi are reportedly playing a key mediatory role, while President Zardari is also said to be actively engaged in maintaining a functional working relationship between the two parties.

If these efforts fail to yield results, sources said, direct talks could be arranged among Nawaz Sharif, Shehbaz Sharif, President Zardari, and Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari to bridge the divide.

PML-N insiders maintained that the party aims to address the PPP's concerns through political dialogue, adding that the federal government "faces no immediate threat" despite the current strain.

"The next course of action will depend on how the political situation evolves," a senior PML-N leader said, adding that the first priority was to end the ongoing war of words between the two sides.

Nawabshah meeting

According to sources, the meeting between the two leaders and the president lasted for two hours. During the session, President Zardari was conveyed a special message from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

Sources said that the PML-N delegation assured the president that no future statements would be made against the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and expressed the government's desire to maintain a working relationship between the two coalition partners.

It was further revealed that President Zardari was briefed on the upcoming session of the United Nations General Assembly, as well as on issues related to national security.

According to insiders, the PML-N leadership reaffirmed to the president that the recent aggressive remarks made by certain party members against the PPP would not be repeated in the future.

Sources added that the overall discussion between the two sides was positive and focused on resolving recent political tensions between the PPP and PML-N.

Following the meeting, the PML-N delegation left for Islamabad in their special aircraft, while Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also returned to the capital in a separate flight.

After meeting the president, the ministers departed for Islamabad.