After days of heated war of words, tense relations between the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and the Pakistan People’s Party appeared to thaw as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif contacted PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.
According to the PPP media cell, the two leaders discussed the current political situation, the ongoing flood crisis and issues related to foreign policy.
پاکستان پیپلزپارٹی کے چیئرمین بلاول بھٹو زرداری کو وزیراعظم شہباز شریف کا فون
سیاسی صورت حال، سیلاب اور خارجہ پالیسی پر بات چیت@BBhuttoZardari @CMShehbaz
– PPP (@MediaCellPPP) October 9, 2025
The development followed a meeting in Nawabshah between President Asif Ali Zardari and a government delegation comprising Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq. It was aimed at easing tensions between the two sides after growing friction between the leaders of the Sindh and Punjab governments.
Tensions had escalated to such an extent that the PPP staged walkouts during Senate and National Assembly sessions and even the party hinted that it would sit on the opposition benches in the Punjab Assembly. PPP central leader Sherry Rehman even warned that the government could lose its majority in the Senate without the party’s support.
Despite the discord, President Zardari maintained a conciliatory tone, calling for calm and dialogue. He also contacted Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, asking him to act as a mediator between the allies to help defuse the crisis.
Amid heated exchanges, key political figures from both sides including Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari, PPP chief Aseefa Bhutto Zardari, Sindh Chief Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon and Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab joined the fray along with other local leaders.
Interestingly, the verbal spat between the coalition partners started over the use of the Benazir Income Support Scheme to provide support to flood-affected people in Punjab.
The PPP has long advocated the proposition that the BISP would be the most appropriate means of supporting flood victims; however, the Punjab government is opposed to this idea. The provincial government insists its flood relief efforts are going well.
First Lady Aseefa Bhutto Zardari has warned that it would be “unfair not to use” the BISP, which she said is the “most effective way” of distributing aid.
His comments came a day after Bokhari revealed that the provincial government would issue “relief cards” to flood victims in their personal names, from its own resources, instead of using the BISP to help them.
Aseefa wrote on
However, Bokhari strongly criticized the PPP for dragging the BISP into the floods. “No one wants to remove BISP. The question is: why do you want to use it during flooding?” Bokhari mentioned. “Repeatedly dragging him into flood politics is exactly what we call politicization. »
She accused the PPP of ignoring the interests of the people of Punjab and resorting to flood politics. She defended the Punjab government’s performance during the floods, saying even Bilawal had praised Maryam.
Questioning the role of the PPP in Punjab, the provincial information minister said, “When will you, while living in Punjab, ever fight for the cause of Punjab? Do you want the people of Punjab to be deprived of wheat, flour and bread?”
She added: “If you were capable of doing anything, you wouldn’t be sitting at home telling us where the flood is going to happen or where the embankment is going to break. Such decisions are made by governments based on the situation and circumstances.”
