LAHORE: Amid strained relations, PML-N leaders met their PPP counterparts at Governor House on Saturday to address their concerns and assure them that Peoples Party “would not be treated like outsiders in Punjab”.
“Both parties have agreed to work together and implement projects of public interest immediately. The leaders have also agreed to hold meetings regularly every Saturday in the first week of every month,” said a statement issued by Governor House after the meeting.
The next meeting will be held on April 12.
The consultation meeting of the coordination committees of the PML-N and PPP also reviewed Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s development projects in Punjab. The PML-N chose not to issue a statement and none of the participating members spoke to the media after the meeting.
The PPP was represented by Punjab Governor Sardar Saleem Haider Khan, former prime minister Raja Pervez Ashraf, Nadeem Afzal Chan, PPP parliamentary leader in the Punjab Assembly Ali Haider Gilani and Syed Hassan Murtaza.
The PML-N delegation, led by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, comprised prime minister’s adviser Rana Sanaullah, Khawaja Saad Rafique, federal Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, Punjab’s Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb and Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Ahmed Khan.
Punjab Chief Secretary Zahid Akhtar Zaman and Inspector General Dr Usman Anwar also attended the meeting.
Sources privy to the meeting told Dawn that the chief secretary and IGP were specifically summoned by the PML-N to convey that they must “oblige” PPP leaders and lawmakers.
“It was overall a positive meeting. The PML-N leaders agreed to the PPP’s demand for the inclusion of their members in various committees.
The PPP side raised complaints that their provincial leaders and lawmakers were not given due importance by the police and administrative bureaucracy, seemingly on the instructions of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz. The PML-N members assured the PPP leaders that their concerns would be addressed,“ the sources said.
They said that a member of the PML-N committee urged the governor to refrain from making “harsh statements” against the PML-N, especially CM Maryam, as it created an impression of a rift between the coalition partners.
Of late, the governor has lambasted the PML-N government and the chief minister, warning that the PML-N-led coalition might last “only six more months if the current situation is not fixed”.
The PPP has been complaining — publicly and privately — about CM Maryam’s “attitude”, most notably through Governor Haider and other PPP provincial leaders.
The PPP Punjab leadership recently complained to its top leaders about the “step-motherly treatment” by the Maryam administration in the province and sought the intervention of President Asif Ali Zardari and party chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari. Apparently, following their intervention, Saturday’s meeting was held.
When contacted, Ali Haider Gilani said the PML-N committee had agreed to resolve the issues the PPP was facing in Punjab.
“The meeting discussed the allocation of funds for PPP’s non-elected members, as well as the appointment of law officers [linked to the PPP] in Punjab and the Centre,” he said, adding that it was decided that PPP would be taken on board in public welfare projects.
In the next meeting on April 12, Mr Gilani said, matters related to south Punjab would be discussed.
Meanwhile, PPP legislator Shazia Marri hinted at some “serious step” her party might take about its partnership with PML-N if the Shehbaz-led government did not address its concerns.
While speaking on DawnNews TV programme ‘Doosra Rukh’ on Saturday, she described the PML-N-led government as ‘delicate’. She claimed that such a weak government never existed in the past, regretting that the government had no idea how badly it needed PPP’s cooperation.
In reply to a question, Ms Marri said if PM Shehbaz and Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal failed to fulfil the commitments they had made with PPP regarding the PSDP, then her party would not only boycott the budget session but also take some other ‘serious’ step.
Published in Dawn, March 16th, 2025
