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• Maryam refuses to apologise, wants PPP to eat its words for ‘ridiculing’ Punjab in times of disaster
• PPP leaders question her mandate, see no point in ‘continuing alliance’
LAHORE: As Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz declared on Friday that she would never apologise to the PPP over her outburst against it on flood and canal issues, the latter said she did not represent the people of Punjab as her government was a byproduct of Form 47.
“Maryam Nawaz will never apologise (to the PPP) for raising her voice for Punjab. Rather, those (PPP leaders) who ridiculed Punjab in times of disaster should apologise,” the Punjab CM said while addressing the inauguration ceremony of the e-bus project in Lahore.
The war of words between the two sides, which began over flood compensation, expanded to water rights on the Indus River as the Punjab chief minister told the PPP leadership to keep its advice to itself. In response, the PPP, the ruling party in Sindh, had its lawmakers stay away from the National Assembly and Senate sittings to protest the diatribe.
On Wednesday, PPP and PML-N leaders met in Islamabad to find a way out of the row, with the former asking Maryam to “rethink her tone” while speaking about water rights of the provinces and the PPP leadership.
“I want to remind (President) Asif Zardari and (PPP Chairman) Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari that I was deeply hurt when they held three press conferences in a single day mocking Punjab and spreading lies during the flood crisis here,” Maryam said, adding that she had remained quiet about Bilawal’s remarks because she did not want to get into a fight, as she was serving the people of Punjab “24 hours a day and did not have the time”.
She said Punjab wanted to build its own canals from its own resources, but approval was denied at the CCI, and later protests were staged against Punjab. “If this isn’t provincialism, then what is?” she asked.
The now-shelved six-canals project had turned out to be a cause of contention between Punjab and Sindh, which are governed by the PML-N and PPP, respectively. “That water is the right of Punjab’s farmers, but it was politicised. Let me make it very clear… Whenever Punjab is targeted, there will be a response and a strong one. Think 100 times before talking negatively about Punjab,” she said.
Further targeting the PPP, she said when floods swept through Punjab, the people of one province (PPP in Sindh) not only wrongly criticised the PML-N government in Punjab, but also rubbed salt into the wounds. “If there is any issue in any province, do we level false allegations at press conferences? Do we spread lies? What we do is help them.”
Giving an example of how she had offered help to her party’s arch-rival during floods in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Ms Nawaz said: “I called KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and offered him Punjab’s assistance during the floods despite him being a political opponent.”
BISP vs flood survivors data
On the Benazir Income Support Programme, she said she did not want the data of poor people but only that of the people affected by floods.
The Punjab CM also defended a controversial YouTuber who had made derogatory remarks about the people of Sindh over the canal issue.
“When someone (the YouTuber) apologises, you forgive them, right? But these people (PPP leaders) made fun of him. Still, I remained silent. However, I will not let this happen to another person in Punjab,” the PML-N leader warned.
False mandate, venomous speeches
Responding to Maryam Nawaz’s diatribe, PPP leader Sassui Palijo said: “Maryam Nawaz does not have a public mandate; rather, she is doing politics on charity seats. Without winning even a single genuine seat, Maryam Nawaz has been given the entire province. The people didn’t even find her worthy of seven seats, yet she was gifted a whole province. Where was your honour when you accepted a province on a charity mandate?”
Ms Palijo further said Maryam had no moral grounds to speak against smaller provinces, particularly Sindh. “Maryam’s domicile may be powerful, but in reality she is nothing more than a product of Form 47.”
She said false mandates and venomous statements cannot alter reality. “If there is ever a transparent election, Maryam Nawaz will not even be visible in the country’s politics. Her speeches filled with ethnic prejudice and animosity against smaller provinces have become a habit. But politics rooted in hate and lies never lasts long,” the PPP leader said, adding that the people of Sindh would never allow anti-Sindh dams or canals to be built.
Another PPP leader, Maula Bakhsh Chandio, said Maryam, after ousting her father Nawaz Sharif from politics, had now taken the driving seat and was targeting the PPP. “This alliance (of PML-N and PPP) cannot continue any more,” he said.
Published in Dawn, October 4th, 2025
Zulqernain Tahir is a reporter for Dawn with over 20 years of experience, currently covering political and governance issues with a focus on uncovering financial scams. He can be found on X at @zulqerr.
