ISLAMABAD: The ruling allies on Wednesday warned the provincial governments of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa against becoming a part of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s (PTI) long march towards the federal capital expected to be announced within a week.

Read: Political rhetoric heats up as Imran Khan set to give ‘Azadi March’ another go

“Avoid paving the way for chaos and unrest in the country by becoming a tool of Imran Khan. Those who will cross the [red] line will be dealt with iron hand[s],” the meeting decided.

“It will not be allowed to attack the federal capital by crossing all limits of constitution and law,” it added.

“The meeting of the allies has warned both provincial governments not to become [part of] any aggression of the PTI against the Centre,” said an official press release issued by the PM House after the huddle.

PM okays plan to ferry Thar coal by rail; 100-home flood relief village built in Tank

The PM also held separate meetings with MQM-Pakistan leader Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui andJUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman. Sources in the PM House told Dawn that leaders of the ruling alliance vowed to resist attempts to topple the government.

Also on Wednesday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif approved a project aimed at linking the coal mines in Sindh’s Thar district with the railways network in a bid to transport locally produced coal to power plants, including Jamshoro and Port Qasim power stations.

Presiding over a meeting, the premier directed the authorities concerned to complete the project by March 23 next year. PM Sharif also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to launch the project in collaboration with the Sindh government.

In another meeting with various delegations of farmers who staged a week-long sit-in in Islamabad, the premier said the government would unveil a ‘Kissan Package’ next week for the agriculture sector. The package will be announced at the Kissan conference. He also sought “actionable recommendations” from his ministers in consultation with farmers.

The prime minister said he had taken steps for the development of the agriculture sector during his stint as the Punjab chief minister. He said that he had always protected the interests of farmers and provided subsidies for the payment of electricity bills, provision of fertilisers, and procurement of agricultural tools.

Separately, the PM’s promise to construct 100 homes in Tank under the Prime Minister’s Flood Relief Village project was fulfilled after the construction task was completed in 24 days.

Published in Dawn, October 6th, 2022