• Party demands she apologise for outburst on canals, BISP
• Law minister ‘apologises’, Rana Sanaullah defends Punjab CM
• PPP lawmakers do not attend NA, Senate proceedings; Naveed Qamar says they may have to move to opposition benches
• PTI boycotts session over AJK protest; ANP chief walks out over Tirah killings

ISLAMABAD: Tensions between the ruling coalition partners on Tuesday flared in parliament as the PPP lawmakers stayed away from the National Assembly and Senate sittings to protest Punjab Chief Minister Mary­am Nawaz’s diatribe against their party.

National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq adjourned the proceedings until Friday morning without discussing any agenda items after Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar in a bid to diffuse the tension offered an ‘apology’ for the chief minister’s remarks.

The Senate, however, continued its proceedings despite the PPP’s boycott. Interestingly, the sitting was presided over by PPP Senator Sherry Rehman in the absence of the chairman and the deputy chairman.

In the National Assembly, the issue was raised by PPP veteran leader Syed Naveed Qamar after the speaker gave him the floor to move a calling attention notice on the “frequent and sudden cancellations of domestic flights”.

Refusing to move the calling attention notice, Mr Qamar started castigating the Punjab chief minister over her Monday’s speech in Faisalabad. The CM had lashed out at the PPP for criticising her for not using the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) to provide relief to the flood-hit people in the province.

Expressing his regret over CM Maryam’s remarks, the PPP leader said that they had only given her a suggestion, but she had taken it as “criticism” of her.

While inaugurating an electric bus service in Faisalabad on Monday, Maryam Nawaz had dismissed the objections to a contentious canal project on the Indus River, insisting Punjab was entitled to develop waterways for its people. “If Punjab wants to construct canals for its water, why are you crying?” CM Maryam said, adding, “It is Punjab’s water and Punjab’s money.”

The PPP MNA criticised the Punjab chief minister but admitted that some of his own party members were also responsible for this “escalation”. He said PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, during his visit to the flood-hit areas, had even appreciated the Punjab

chief minister’s response. The PPP MNA termed the use of words like “our money and our water” by CM Maryam “regrettable”.

She [Maryam] says it is our water and we will make a canal. What does it mean?” asked Mr Qamar, adding that “the River Indus water is for all the people” living in the country.

“If you do not want to act on our advice, then it’s okay, but we (PPP) are being taunted for providing support to this government which we are doing in the national interest,” he said.

“It is becoming difficult for us to sit on the treasury benches,” he said amid sloganeering by some of the opposition PTI members.

“The way things are moving, we will soon be there [opposition benches],” said Mr Qamar while addressing the PTI lawmakers.

The PPP lawmaker asked the PML-N to run the governments in the Centre and Punjab on its own, stating that his party was not receiving any fee to support it. It may be noted that in return for its support to the PML-N, the PPP had secured the offices of the president of Pakistan and the Senate chairman. Interestingly, Mr Qamar in his speech said that they were not the coalition partners, but they were giving advice as an ally.

“We do not want ministries nor do we need seats, but at least give us respect,” said the PPP lawmaker while leading a walkout of his party lawmakers. He said they could not become a part of the proceedings under these circumstances.

Taking the floor, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said differences between the PML-N and the PPP were internal matters and expressed the hope that their alliance would remain intact.

“If anyone has been hurt by words, we apologise. Politics comes with ups and downs, and such verbal exchanges happen. These issues will be resolved within the house, as our focus is to strengthen democracy and the country,” he said.

Senate session

In the upper house of parliament, the issue was raised by PPP’s Zameer Ghumro who went to the extent of linking PPP’s support for legislation with an apology from Maryam Nawaz.

“We will not vote for any legislation till an apology is tendered by the Punjab chief minister,” said Mr Ghumro while terming her speech an “attack on federation of Pakistan”.

The PPP lawmakers later staged a walkout.

PML-N’s Rana Sanaullah defended CM Maryam’s remarks, stating that she was referring to Punjab’s share as per the 1991 water accord. He said Punjab had always acted like an ‘elder brother’ and rendered sacrifices, but it had been ‘blamed and abused’.

“Who else will respond, if Punjab is criticised without any reason, if not the Punjab chief minister?” he asked.

On this occasion, Sherry Rehman said that she could not argue while presiding over the sitting, adding that the issue would come up for discussion on Friday.

ANP, PTI walkout

Another highlight of the Senate’s proceedings was the walkout by Awami National Party chief Aimal Wali Khan from the house after he was not allowed to speak on the reported killings of innocent civilians during an operation in Tirah.

The ANP senator raised questions over the foreign visits of army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir. He also declared SIFC an unconstitutional body.

“This is not democracy,” he said.

Published in Dawn, October 1st, 2025