Patch-up likely as PPP claims breakthru on BISP demand
• Bilawal-led delegation meets premier after a month of sparring over flood relief, canals issue
• PM reiterates ‘respect for PPP as ruling ally’; Chan says PM amenable to using social safety net to help flood-hit people
• MQM leaders also call on PM to discuss political situation
ISLAMABAD: After weeks of acrimony between the ruling allies, the two main parties in the ruling coalition seemed to make a breakthrough on Thursday, with a PPP leader claiming the prime minister had acceded to one of their main demands.
“The prime minister has agreed to utilise BISP for helping flood victims and that the PPP will be taken on board while decision-making about flood victims and farmers,” PPP Information Secretary Nadeem Afzal Chan told Dawn.
The understanding, he said, was reached during a meeting at the Prime Minister’s House with a PPP delegation led by Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari.
It is believed that the development will finally defuse nearly a month of public confrontation between the two parties.
However, all eyes will now be on how the premier convinces the PML-N-led Punjab government, which had resisted routing assistance to flood-hit families through BISP — an issue that led to the dispute in the first place.
Mr Chan said the PM had agreed to all the PPP’s demands “as they were justified and logical”.
The disagreement between the ruling allies first surfaced last month, soon after heavy monsoon rains and flooding devastated parts of Punjab and other provinces. The PPP pushed for using the BISP to deliver immediate relief to flood-affected families, a demand resisted by the Punjab government.
Tensions deepened when PPP leaders publicly criticised the Punjab government, accusing it of politicising relief and sidelining the federal mechanism for assistance. On the other hand, PML-N ministers also voiced frustration, with Rana Sanaullah calling for a complete overhaul of BISP and arguing that its current structure was unfit.
The technical disagreement soon turned into a political confrontation, with both the ruling allies issuing counter-accusations almost on a daily basis.
In late September, PPP publicly walked out of Senate and National Assembly sessions to protest what it called insults from Punjab’s PML-N leadership over the controversial Cholistan canal project and criticism of the PPP’s Sindh administration.
‘Respect and appreciation’
According to the Prime Minister’s Office, Thursday’s meeting between PM Shehbaz and the PPP chairman also reviewed a range of domestic and foreign issues as well as the overall political situation.
“PPP is our ally with whom we view relations with respect and appreciation,” the premier was quoted as telling Mr Bhutto-Zardari.
The PPP delegation paid tribute to the premier for Pakistan’s role in efforts towards a Gaza peace agreement.
The PPP team included Raja Pervez Ashraf, Senator Sherry Rehman, Nayyar Bukhari, Nadeem Afzal Chan and Syed Ali Qasim Gilani.
From the government side, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, National Food Security Minister Rana Tanveer Hussain, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah, Federal Minister for Public Affairs Unit Rana Mubashir Iqbal, and Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Ahmed Khan attended.
Sources said Mr Bhutto-Zardari conveyed his party’s reservations regarding Punjab and urged an end to the war of words between the PPP and PML-N. He also pressed for targeted support, urging PM Shehbaz to help farmers who had been hit hard by the floods.
When asked whether the PM had agreed to use BISP for flood relief, Information Minister Ata Tarar, who was also present on the occasion, said he would check. However, he did not respond to Dawn’s query until going to print.
In a separate development, a delegation led by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement convener, Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, called on PM Shehbaz on Thursday and discussed the country’s political situation. The delegation also included Sindh Governor Kamran Khan Tessori, as well as MNAs Dr Muhammad Farooq Sattar, Aminul Haq, and Javed Hanif.
The prime minister stressed that the timely completion of the ongoing federal development projects was among the government’s top priorities.
Published in Dawn, October 17th, 2025
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