PPP gives govt one-month deadline to fulfill coalition promises

لائیو: پاکستان پیپلز پارٹی کی سینٹرل ایگزیکٹو کمیٹی کے اجلاس کے بعد میڈیا بریفنگ https://t.co/bSD9cY8Xut

“In Punjab, people — especially farmers — are in extreme distress,” she said. “Their lands and livestock have been swept away by floods, leaving them with a bleak and uncertain future. On this issue, party Chairman [Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari] has repeatedly stressed — and the federal government will have to agree — that the wheat procurement price should be set, so that farmers receive incentives, get access to DAP and urea, and can stand on their own feet, just as Sindh had initiated.”

Rehman said, a meeting was held with the president and the prime minister, during which the PPP raised all its reservations and concerns. “The next day, Chairman Bilawal also took his team to Bilawal House, where further discussions were held. The prime minister had invited him to talk about these matters, and today, Chairman Bilawal briefed the CEC on the PM’s commitments,” she said.

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She clarified that the PPP had not demanded cabinet positions or privileges. “The Pakistan Peoples Party has always stood by democracy. We played a major role in government formation — whether it was institutional reforms or social welfare projects, we not only supported them but also helped build consensus. That is why we had hoped our voice would be heard in this coalition,” she said.

Senator Rehman added that the federal government had accepted Bilawal Bhutto’s proposal to waive electricity bills for flood-affected citizens. “Instead of engaging in political point-scoring, I would urge the government to reconsider and utilise the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP),” she said, recalling that BISP was effectively used to disburse flood aid in 2022.

Touching on unmet commitments, she said, “On matters like government formation and the 26th Amendment — particularly in relation to Punjab and the federal government — promises were made that have not been fulfilled. In the CEC, we have decided to give time to the government and the prime minister. We will meet again after one month and assess what progress has been made on those promises. After that, we will decide our future course of action.”

Senator Sherry Rehman said, October 18 remains a day of profound significance for the PPP, as she recalled the tragic events on its 17th anniversary. “On October 18, 2007, there was a sea of people that came out to welcome their leader — and it was attacked in a cowardly manner. We shall never forget the debt we owe to the martyrs,” she said.

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The date marks the twin bombings that struck near Benazir Bhutto’s rallying truck in Karachi as she returned from an eight-year self-imposed exile. The attack killed at least 180 people and injured over 500, in what remains one of the deadliest assaults on a political gathering in the country’s history.

PPP Information Secretary Nadeem Afzal Chan said, the party had entered the coalition government with clear conditions, including holding local body elections in Punjab. “At present, we have reservations about the local government system being introduced in the province. The system is unacceptable to us, and we will raise this matter with the government,” he said.

He also voiced concern over the worsening economic situation, saying that industries in Karachi and Faisalabad are shutting down due to high energy costs. “On the agriculture front, first they used the IMF as an excuse to stop procurement — not only was the Sindh government made to cry over it, but wheat was also not procured in Punjab. Instead, we ended up importing wheat. Now, when it’s time for sugar mills to start operations, sugar has been imported,” he said.

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Chan added, while the prime minister had declared an emergency in response to floods, “the Punjab government did not act on it, whereas the Sindh government implemented it to a considerable extent.”

Senator Rehman concluded by saying that the CEC had also commended Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari’s diplomatic efforts, particularly his “successful representation of Pakistan’s stance before the international community following the Pakistan-India conflict.”