ISLAMABAD: In a dramatic escalation of tensions within the ruling coalition, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) staged coordinated walkouts from both the National Assembly and the Senate on Monday in protest against recent remarks by Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz.
The move laid bare widening cracks between the PPP and its coalition partner, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), prompting the embattled opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Asad Qaiser to urge the PPP to bring a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif—offering his party’s full support.
“If they are serious, they should bring a no-confidence (motion), and we will support it,” Qaiser said while speaking on a point of order in the National Assembly after the PPP’s walkout from the House.
“We will help them (PPP) topple the government at the Centre. Bring a no confidence motion against the Prime Minister (Shehbaz Sharif), or stop this friendly fire,” he asked the PPP.
Speaking on a point of order, PPP leader Raja Pervaiz Ashraf expressed strong reservations over the chief minister’s alleged criticism of the PPP and its role in flood relief efforts, particularly in southern Punjab. He said the remarks had offended party workers and risked inflaming provincial sentiments.
He noted that despite PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s public praise for the Punjab government, PPP leaders continued to face disparaging commentary.
Ashraf also disclosed that the security detail of PPP’s parliamentary leader in the Punjab Assembly had been withdrawn, calling it an unacceptable move.
He announced that PPP would continue to boycott National Assembly proceedings until a formal clarification was issued. A similar protest unfolded in the Senate, where PPP legislators walked out after Parliamentary Leader Sherry Rehman criticised Maryam Nawaz’s remarks, saying they risked alienating smaller coalition partners.
Rehman reiterated her party’s commitment to flood rehabilitation but decried the political rhetoric surrounding relief efforts.
In an apparent reference to the Punjab chief minister’s remarks that “there is no need to beg for money when we can spend on our own people,” the PPP leader retorted: “You are still asking the IMF for climate funding.” PTI Senator Ali Zafar accused both the PPP and PML-N of engaging in political point-scoring amid a humanitarian crisis, alleging corruption in flood relief operations. “Children are sleeping under open skies while coalition partners exchange barbs,” he said. He claimed bribes of up to Rs200,000 were being demanded by boat operators assisting flood victims.
Due to the PPP walkout, the National Assembly session was adjourned for lack of quorum. Speaker Ayaz Sadiq attempted to mediate but failed to convince PPP lawmakers to return. The session was rescheduled for Thursday.
The PML-N; however, showed no sign of yielding to PPP pressure. A day earlier, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz issued a stern warning, saying she would not “spare” those who targeted the province. Punjab Information Minister Ajmal Bukhari doubled down on the province’s stance on Monday, insisting the Punjab government “will continue to fight” for its people.
Taking a swipe at the PPP-led Sindh administration, she said: “They are our allies and we respect them. But you have nothing to say about Sindh.”
Challenging the Bhutto-led party’s record, Bukhari challenged the PPP to “name 17 projects in their 17-year tenure” in Sindh.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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