From Zeeshan Mirza
KARACHI: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman and Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Monday responded to the reports of rifts between his party and Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N), saying that there are no “no political differences” between the ruling parties.
“The PPP’s committee will meet Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif today once again. There is no political difference with the PML-N, however, there can be differences in policy,” said Bilawal while addressing the media persons after Mayor Karachi Murtaza Wahab’s oath-taking ceremony.
His comments came after differences emerged between the PPP and PML-N regarding administrative matters in the province of Punjab and the federal budget. The PPP members had shared their concerns with Bilawal, saying the government is not paying heed to their requests. “There has been a good working relationship with the PML-N leaders. However, it is our right to have a difference of opinion and we will continue to raise it on a relevant forum,” said the PPP chairman.
Bilawal said that he doesn’t see any political difference with the PML-N in future as well. Talking about the concerns of his party, the chairman said that the PPP wants a non-controversial census, adding that they had issues with the previous census as well. “I think that this census will remain controversial in the future,” he added.
Bilawal also spoke about the funds for the rehabilitation of the flood victims in Sindh, hoping that the reservation of funds will be resolved and the federal government should contribute to the relief. He added that they will place the party’s manifesto before the entire nation. He also said that PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari is coming back soon and will go to Lahore.
According to The News, Bilawal had earlier said his party will abstain from endorsing the recently-announced budget in the National Assembly unless the commitments made to the party regarding areas affected by flooding are honoured. A high-level meeting, chaired by the premier, between the two political entities took place last week; however, the PPP chairman was unable to attend the meeting, as he was out of Islamabad.
During the second round of talks, held today, the federal government assured the Sindh government that it would allocate a separate budget for the flood victims in the province, said the sources.
During the meeting, the PPP demanded a separate allocation of funds for the Sindh flood victims, which was agreed by the government.
The PPP delegation included Federal Minister for Water Resources Khurshid Ahmed Shah, Climate Minister Sherry Rehman, Qamar Zaman Kaira, and Naveed Qamar while Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah participated in the negotiations virtually.
Meanwhile, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal and Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Ayaz Sadiq participated on behalf of PML-N.
The meeting carries significant weight as it takes place amidst severe criticism from PPP leaders regarding the budget proposals for the next fiscal year.
CM Shah, in his speech in the Sindh Assembly regarding the provincial budget on Saturday, once again criticised the federal government for its unfulfilled promises. Some PML-N leaders have also started criticising the PPP leadership. This new trend could widen the divide between the two parties, according to the sources.
The federal government is willing to meet the demands of the Sindh government, but the necessary funds will be provided after receiving contributions from donors, as committed during a meeting in Geneva last year.
Another well-placed source mentioned that the PPP cannot afford to oppose the national budget, and it was highly unlikely for it to vote against the budget that was approved in the federal cabinet meeting, attended by the PPP chairman in his capacity as foreign minister, as well as four federal ministers from the party.
The federal cabinet will also meet on Tuesday (June 20). The meeting will be attended by Foreign Minister Bilawal. The cabinet was unable to hold its meeting last week.
