PPP gives government one month to deliver on coalition promises

The Pakistan People’s Party has given a one-month deadline to the Nawaz-led Pakistan Muslim League-led federal government to fulfill the commitments made during the formation of the coalition. The PPP warned that the party would reassess its position and determine its future course of action if the promises are not fulfilled.

Addressing a press conference after a meeting of the PPP Central Executive Committee (CEC), senior party leader Senator Sherry Rehman, flanked by PPP Information Secretary Nadeem Afzal Chan and Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon, said the party had conveyed its concerns directly to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

“In Punjab, people – especially farmers – are in extreme distress,” she said. “Their land and livestock were washed away by the floods, leaving them with a dark and uncertain future. On this issue, the party president [Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari] has repeatedly emphasized – and the federal government will have to agree – that the procurement price of wheat should be set in such a way that farmers receive incentives, have access to DAP and urea and can stand on their own two feet, just as Sindh had initiated.

Rehman said a meeting was held with the President and Prime Minister, during which the PPP expressed all its reservations and concerns. “The next day, President Bilawal also took his team to Bilawal House, where further discussions took place. The Prime Minister invited him to speak on these issues, and today, President Bilawal briefed the CEC on the Prime Minister’s commitments,” she said.

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She clarified that the PPP had not demanded ministerial positions or privileges. “The Pakistan People’s Party has always stood for democracy. We played a major role in the formation of the government: whether it was institutional reforms or welfare projects, we not only supported them, but also helped build consensus. That is why we had hoped that 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 of flood-affected citizens. “Instead of engaging in point-scoring politics, I urge the government to reconsider and utilize the Benazir Income Support Program (BISP),” she said, recalling that the BISP was actually used to disburse flood relief in 2022.

Addressing the unfulfilled commitments, she said, “On issues such as government formation and the 26th amendment – especially with regard to Punjab and the federal government – promises were made which were not kept. In the CEC, we decided to give time to the government and the Prime Minister. We will meet again after a month and assess the progress made on these promises. After that, we will decide our line of future action. “

Senator Sherry Rehman said October 18 remains a day of deep significance for the PPP, as she recalled the tragic events of its 17th anniversary. “On October 18, 2007, a crowd of people came out to welcome their leader – and he was attacked in a cowardly manner. We will never forget the debt we owe to the martyrs,” she said.

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

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

He also expressed concern over the deteriorating economic situation, saying industries in Karachi and Faisalabad were shutting down due to high energy costs. “On the agricultural front, they first used the IMF as an excuse to stop their purchases. Not only did the Sindh government cry because of this, but wheat was also not purchased from Punjab. Instead, we ended up importing wheat. Now, when it is time for the sugar mills to start their operations, sugar was imported,” he said.

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Chan added that although the Prime Minister had declared a state of emergency in response to the floods, “the Punjab government did not act on it, while the Sindh government implemented it to a large extent.”

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