Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has called a meeting with Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leaders for Thursday (today) to address concerns amid rising disagreements between the two major ruling coalition parties. The issues at hand include the federal government’s downsizing of ministries and the power rate subsidy specifically for the Punjab province, as reported by Dawn.
A source within the PPP confirmed on Wednesday that PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari had received a formal invitation from the prime minister for a meeting at the PM House, which will be followed by a dinner. The PPP delegation is expected to include Sherry Rahman, the party’s parliamentary leader in the Senate; Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, the former prime minister; and experienced leader Syed Naveed Qamar, though this has not yet been confirmed.
The party also plans to discuss its future legislative agenda. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Advisor on Political and Public Affairs Rana Sanaullah, and other key cabinet members are expected to support the prime minister at the meeting, according to Dawn.
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Bhutto-Zardari has already arrived in Islamabad and chaired a meeting of the party’s central Punjab chapter at Zardari House on Wednesday. The discussions focused on the political situation and organizational matters of the PPP, as reported in a handout by Dawn.
Tensions between the ruling ally and the PPP have escalated over issues such as skyrocketing electricity prices and the rightsizing of ministries as part of austerity measures. The conflict intensified when PML-N President Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz announced a PKR 14 per unit relief for Punjabi users consuming 200 to 500 units per month. This declaration was met with criticism from both the PTI-led Khyber Pakhtunkhwa administration and the PPP-led Sindh government, who accused the federal and Punjabi administrations of inadequately addressing the issue.
In response, Prime Minister Sharif defended the Punjab government’s actions on Tuesday, stating that the Centre had not provided any financial support to the province. He also urged other provinces to follow Punjab’s example by reallocating their development funds to offer similar relief to electricity consumers.
(WITH INPUTS FROM ANI)
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