Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari. Photo: APP/AFP
LAHORE:
President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met at Aiwan-e-Sadr on Wednesday and held wide-ranging discussions on political, security and regional developments, agreeing to continue political consultations on issues of national importance amid growing tensions between their allied parties – the PPP and the PML-N.
According to the President House, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ishaq Dar, Minister of Planning Ahsan Iqbal, Minister of Interior Mohsin Naqvi, Minister of Justice Azam Nazir Tarar and Minister of Inter-Provincial Coordination Rana Sanaullah also participated in the meeting.
The PPP delegation included senators Sherry Rehman, Saleem Mandviwalla and Nayyar Hussain Bukhari.
During the discussions, the President and Prime Minister reviewed the current political climate, the internal and regional security situation as well as recent international developments, including peace efforts in Gaza.
Prime Minister Shehbaz briefed President Zardari on his recent visits to Egypt and Malaysia, including his engagements with world leaders and discussions on Pakistan’s diplomatic relations.
The two leaders also had a one-on-one meeting, during which they exchanged views on key national priorities and the general direction of government policies.
A statement said both sides agreed to maintain “continuous political consultations on issues of national importance.”
Tension between PPP and PML-N increases due to security conflict
However, fresh tensions within the ruling coalition resurfaced after reports surfaced that the Punjab government had withdrawn security from the Bilawal House in Lahore, drawing sharp criticism from PPP leaders.
PPP Lahore Chairman Aslam Gill accused the PML-N of “pettiness and narrow-mindedness”, saying: “Withdrawal of security is an act of political insecurity. The PPP is a party of struggle; it does not rely on state protection.
Punjab Chief Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb rejected the reports.
“The news regarding the withdrawal of security from Bilawal House is completely false and baseless,” she wrote on X.
“Security at Bilawal House remains fully intact and has never been withdrawn. Media are strongly advised to verify this information with official government sources before reporting,” she added.
Meanwhile, the Lahore police spokesperson also denied the allegations, calling reports of a withdrawal of security forces “baseless and contrary to facts”. The spokesperson clarified that “security at Bilawal House remains fully intact and in line with standard procedure.”
“Some staff were on rest leave and replacements were sent,” the police statement said.
“Linking routine administrative changes to political motivations is misleading and contrary to facts. No such instructions have been issued by the Punjab government,” he added.
However, sources within the PPP claimed that the party leadership was angered by the development and had decided to no longer seek police protection, saying: “Even if the government offers security now, we will not accept it.”
The same sources claimed that the Punjab government had earlier withdrawn security from the family of Senate President Yusuf Raza Gilani.
