The PPP gives the government a deadline of one month to fulfill the coalition’s promises

The Pakistan Peoples Party has given a deadline of one month to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz-led federal government to fulfill the commitments made during the formation of the coalition. The PPP has warned that the party will reassess its position and determine its future course of action if the promises remain unfulfilled.

Addressing a press conference after a PPP Central Executive Committee (CEC) meeting, 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 raised its concerns directly with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

“In Punjab, people – especially farmers – are in extreme distress,” she said. “Their land and livestock have been swept away by floods, leaving them with a bleak and uncertain future. On this issue, Party Chairman [Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari] has repeatedly stressed – and the federal government will have to agree – that the wheat procurement price should be fixed so that farmers get incentives, get 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 the Prime Minister where the PPP raised all its reservations and concerns. “The next day, Chairman Bilawal also took his team to Bilawal House where further discussions were held. The Prime Minister had invited him to speak on these issues and today Chairman Bilawal briefed the CEC on the Prime Minister’s commitments,” she said.

Also read: Punjab extends Section 144 for seven days citing terror threats

She clarified that the OPP had not demanded cabinet positions or privileges. “The Pakistan Peoples Party has always stood for democracy. We played a big role in the formation of the government – whether it was institutional reforms or social welfare projects, we not only supported them but also helped build consensus. Therefore, 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 for flood-affected citizens. “Instead of engaging in political point-scoring, I would urge the government to reconsider and use the Benazir Income Support Program (BISP),” she said, recalling that the BISP was effectively used to disburse flood relief in 2022.

On unfulfilled commitments, she said: “On issues like government formation and the 26th amendment – especially in relation to Punjab and the federal government – promises were made which have not been fulfilled. In the CEC, we have decided to give time to the government and the prime minister. We will meet again after a month and assess what progress has been made on these action promises.”

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 sea of ​​people came out to welcome their leader – and it was attacked in a cowardly way. We will never forget the debt we owe the martyrs,” she said.

Read: Pakistan, Afghanistan hold Doha talks to curb cross-border terrorism

The 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 over 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 had entered the coalition government with clear conditions, including holding local elections in Punjab. “At present we have reservations about the local government system being introduced in the province. The system is unacceptable to us and we will take this matter up with the government,” he said.

He also expressed concern over the deteriorating economic situation and said industries in Karachi and Faisalabad are shutting down due to high energy costs. “On the agriculture front, they first used the IMF as an excuse to stop procurement – not only was the Sindh government forced to cry over it, but wheat was also not procured in Punjab. Instead, we ended up importing wheat. Now that it is time for sugar mills to start operations, sugar has been imported,” he said.

Read more: KP CM under fire for skipping key meeting

Chan added that while the prime minister had declared an emergency in response to floods, “the Punjab government did not act on it, while the Sindh government implemented it to a significant extent.”

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