ISLAMABAD: In a bid to ease simmering tensions within the ruling coalition, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday assured the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leaders that their concerns regarding the Punjab government, led by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, would be addressed to maintain unity among coalition partners.
The assurance came during a high-level meeting at the Prime Minister’s Office between the premier and a PPP delegation led by party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari amid mounting strains between the coalition partners.
According to party sources, the PPP raised objections over recent remarks by Maryam Nawaz, describing them as “provocative” and damaging to the trust between the two parties.
The controversy had earlier triggered coordinated walkouts by PPP lawmakers from both the National Assembly and Senate, highlighting the fragility of the coalition’s internal dynamics.
“The PPP is our coalition partner, and we value this relationship with utmost respect and dignity,” Prime Minister Sharif said in a statement issued by his office.
He underscored the imperative of political unity to confront the country’s escalating economic and governance challenges.
Sources familiar with the meeting told Business Recorder that Bilawal warned the prime minister that persistent inflammatory rhetoric from within the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leadership could severely damage the coalition’s stability.
They said that the prime minister assured the PPP leadership that efforts would be made to curb such provocations and strengthen coordination between the allied parties.
The meeting was aimed at restoring working relations between the PML-N and PPP, with both sides agreeing to resolve outstanding differences through dialogue.
Broader discussions also touched upon Pakistan’s political trajectory and economic recovery.
The Prime Minister’s Office said the talks also covered Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts, including its stance on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, which the PPP leadership welcomed as a positive step.
With the coalition facing increasing scrutiny over governance and internal cohesion, Thursday’s engagement was seen as a concerted effort to present a united front ahead of critical political and economic challenges in the months ahead.
The alliance between the PPP and PML-N was forged following the general elections earlier this year to counter the growing influence of former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, which remains a potent political force despite Khan’s incarceration.
The PPP delegation included senior leaders Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Senator Sherry Rehman, Nayyar Bukhari, Nadeem Afzal Chan, and Qasim Gilani.
Representing the government side were Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, and Information Minister Attaullah Tarar.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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