PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Monday stressed the need for internal stability and unity to tackle the current challenges afflicting the country.
The meeting came in the wake of a feud between the PPP and PML-N, coalition partners in the federation, that has seemed to cool down for now. Ties between the allies came under immense strain recently as they engaged in a war of words over flood relief, after Bilawal asserted that the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) was the “sole method” of providing relief to those affected by floods in the country, while Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz accused his party of “politicising” the issue.
Concerted efforts were made by leading figures, such as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari, who stepped in to defuse tensions, with the latter also calling on Naqvi to play his role for a possible rapprochement.
A statement from the PPP issued today said Bilawal met Naqvi and discussed issues of mutual interest, political affairs and the country’s situation, with the latter informing the PPP chairman on the steps taken to establish peace and security in the country amid a tense situation on both the international and domestic fronts.
Expressing his satisfaction with the measures, Bilawal said: “Current challenges can be faced only through unity and consensus,” while Naqvi was similarly quoted by the statement as saying: “Everyone has to work together for the internal stability of Pakistan.”
After weeks of acrimony between the ruling allies, the two main parties in the ruling coalition seemed to make a breakthrough on Thursday, with a PPP leader claiming the prime minister had acceded to one of their main demands.
“The prime minister has agreed to utilise BISP for helping flood victims and that the PPP will be taken on board while decision-making about flood victims and farmers,” PPP Information Secretary Nadeem Afzal Chan had told media.
The understanding, he said, was reached during a meeting at the Prime Minister’s House with a PPP delegation led by Bilawal. All eyes will now be on how the premier convinces the PML-N-led Punjab government. Chan said the PM had agreed to all the PPP’s demands “as they were justified and logical”.
Before charting its future course, the PPP has decided to adopt a wait-and-see policy, giving the government one month to act on promises made by PM Shehbaz on its demands.
The development came after an hour-long meeting of its central executive committee on Saturday that covered a wide range of issues, including the PPP’s strained relations with the PML-N, the post-flood situation, recent tensions with Afghanistan and the ongoing economic challenges faced by the country.
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