With the aim to resolve the Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) reservations regarding Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, talks between the Bilawal Bhutto Zardari-led party in the province will be held with the Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz (PML-N) will be held after Eid ul Adha.
Rana Sanaullah, the adviser to prime minister on political affairs, confirmed the possibility of the aforementioned meeting during his appearance in Geo News programme ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’ on Thursday.
The senior PML-N politician’s comment comes in the backdrop of the qualms raised by the PPP — the party’s ally in both Centre and Punjab — regarding the provincial chief minister’s governance style and lack of coordination on policy matters.
“The procedure for solving all problems with PPP has been decided,” said the advisor.
PPP Senator Sherry Rehman, who was also interviewed on the show, said her party’s lawmakers in Punjab are not being given funds to carry out work in their respective constituencies.
Rehman’s remarks came after Chairman Senate and PPP leader, Yousuf Raza Gilani, emphasised that his party needed space in Punjab and that the issues they were facing in the province were not just related to budget.
Gilani, who is part of the PPP delegation conducting talks with PML-N, said that the negotiations between both the parties cannot be held in one sitting and that some of their issues were related to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and others about CM Maryam.
He insisted that the PPP wanted to finalise the written matters that were agreed upon with the PML-N with regards to Punjab and that his party’s opinion should be taken on the budget.
Gilani, while speaking with journalists in Islamabad, said some of the points have been implemented, while others are yet to be executed.
Senator Rehman, too, echoed Gilani’s statement regarding the implementation of a written agreement devised with the “allies” at the time of the government’s formation.
However, she said: “There is still time to resolve issues through dialogue. Progress on our reservations is slow.”
Senator Rehman revealed that the PPP asked the government to give a briefing on budget formulation months ago.
The senator maintained that her party doesn’t believe in the politics of personal targeting and has even made friends out of enemies.
Sanaullah, meanwhile, said that the PML-N’s meeting with the PPP was held in a pleasant atmosphere. “The PPP did not complain about anything during the meeting.”
He, however, insisted that the development funds of national and provincial lawmakers are equally distributed.
