ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari has summoned Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi to Karachi for urgent consultations as tensions escalate between the PPP-led Sindh government and the PML-N-led Punjab government.
Although the PPP is a coalition partner of the PML-N at the federal level, friction between the two allies has intensified in recent days.
According to a post from the President of Pakistan’s official X (formerly Twitter) account, Zardari and Naqvi discussed the situation in a telephonic conversation, after which the President called the minister to Karachi for a meeting. In this regard, the President’s Office released a short statement in Urdu on this matter.
The dispute emerged after the recent floods in Punjab, when the two parties disagreed over how relief aid should be distributed among flood victims. The PPP insisted that assistance be channelled through the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), a proposal rejected by the Punjab government.
Leaders of both parties have given conflicting statements over the issue, further escalating the tension between the coalition partners. Both sides have since exchanged conflicting statements, deepening the rift within the ruling coalition.
Talks between the PPP and PML-N to resolve the issue ended without progress, leading PPP lawmakers to stage a walkout from both the Senate and National Assembly sessions on Monday. According to the sources, the discussions held in National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq’s chamber concluded without a breakthrough, and the details have not been made public.
Federal Minister Rana Sanaullah later confirmed that the PPP would continue its protest and parliamentary walkout. He clarified that the PPP had not demanded an apology from the Punjab Chief Minister.
He said that a planned meeting between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, President Zardari, and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari could not take place due to the prime minister’s visit to Malaysia. He said that the Prime Minister is expected to return on Tuesday and address the PPP’s concerns in an effort to defuse tensions between the coalition partners.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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