KARACHI – The political rupture between Pakistan’s two largest political entities, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), escalated sharply on Sunday as a senior PPP minister accused the Punjab government of undermining their central coalition partner.
Sharjeel Inam Memon, Sindh’s Senior Minister, alleged during a press conference in Karachi that while the Punjab government was “indirectly targeting” the PPP, their “actual target is the federal government.”
The PPP, which governs Sindh, and the PML-N, which leads the ruling coalition in Islamabad, have been embroiled in a public war of words over issues ranging from flood compensation to water rights related to the Cholistan canals project. The tension has been visibly fueled by the remarks of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, whose party also heads the federal government.
Memon claimed that the Punjab administration was “taking our cover to settle their own issues with the prime minister or the federal government. Or they are trying to create an environment to [compel] us not to support the federal government, which would create problems for the federal government.”
The PPP leader clarified that his party was supporting the federal government on specific issues and to keep the country’s “political system running,” but asserted that the actions by the Punjab government betrayed an intention to create a rift between the central allies.
“But we will not let this conspiracy of the Punjab government against the federal government succeed,” Memon declared. He then quipped about what he perceived as “jealousy factors,” highlighting the recent “successful” visits of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the army chief to Saudi Arabia and the United States. “A person thinks that ‘maybe this should have come in my share, why is it going to the prime minister.'”
Memon also pointed out a perceived protocol slight, noting that while the chief ministers of Sindh and Balochistan usually receive the premier during provincial visits, “his own Punjab administration neither receives him nor gives him any protocol.” He urged, “If you have any issues with the prime minister, please keep them among yourselves. Do not bring the PPP into it.”
Focus on Flood Relief and Hate Speech Controversy
Shifting the focus to national priorities, the Sindh minister stressed that the immediate concern must be providing relief to the flood-hit people. “If you look on the ground, especially in southern Punjab, the condition of the people is very bad,” he said, demanding urgent humanitarian attention.
Memon dismissed accusations of politicization, stating, “We are not doing politics. We are genuinely worried for our brothers and sisters in Punjab. Instead, those people who are even putting their pictures on boxes of biscuits are doing politics.” He recalled that the PPP had demanded immediate flood relief be provided through the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP).
The minister also launched a scathing attack on the Punjab government for its apparent support of a social media campaign for a vlogger whose content was decried as hate speech against the Sindhi community. The controversy had previously sparked a war of words between the coalition partners.
Despite a Senate committee grilling the vlogger and a state-run media channel terminating his services, CM Maryam Nawaz openly supported him, leading to a solidarity campaign. Memon alleged that the Punjab government “staged another drama to divert from this entire matter (of floods), which is extremely unfortunate, damaging, and I think it was handled in a very childish manner.”
Questioning the rule of law, Memon challenged the rationale of allowing a person to be let go after making derogatory remarks simply because they apologized. “If you are giving these examples, then release all the people that are sitting in your jails across Punjab,” he said.
In a final rhetorical flourish, he asserted that the Punjab Chief Minister was not entirely to blame, stating, “Her scriptwriter is leading her onto the wrong path… and advises her to run campaigns.” He concluded by affirming a message of national unity: “Whether it was a Punjabi, Sindhi, Balochi, Pashtun or from any other community, all live like brothers and respect each other.”
