KARACHI: Senior Pakistan People's Party (PPP) leader Sherry Rehman on Saturday said the party has decided to give the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz-led federal government more time to deliver on its commitments.
The party convened its Central Executive Committee (CEC) meeting today amid tensions with coalition partner PML-N over issues such as flood relief, water resources, and governance.
Speaking to journalists after the CEC meeting, Rehman said that PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari apprised party leaders about the promises made by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif during their previous meeting.
“We have decided to give the [federal] government and the prime minister more time,” she said. “We will meet again after a month to review how many of their promises have been fulfilled. The PPP will then decide its course of action based on that review.”
The PPP leader emphasised that her party played a significant part in forming the federal government and key legislation. "We thought our voice would be heard in the coalition."
Rehman reiterated her party's stance that the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) was an important tool to provide initial relief in case of any natural calamity.
The PPP leader urged that the programme be used to aid flood affectees, rather than being a platform for "firing political slogans at each other."
BISP became one of the points of contention between PPP and the PML-N following the floods, as several Sindh ministers proposed using it to assist flood-affected people.
However, the Punjab government, led by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, rejected the suggestions, saying that the province had its own resources to help flood affectees.
Terming BISP a globally-recognised programme, the PPP leader urged utlitising it to help people in the flood-hit areas.
Rehman also discussed the devastation caused by recent floods in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Punjab, and Sindh.
She said that the PPP has called for immediate relief to flood affectees, and has already provided aid to several flood-hit areas.
"The people of Pakistan are our asset. Everybody has the right to speak for themselves. There will be no compromise on asking for relief for the poor," Rehman said.
The PPP leader said that her party appreciated the federal government for endorsing the PPP chairman's recommendation to provide relief to flood affectees in electricity bills.
The senator also lauded the Pakistan Armed Forces for giving a befitting response to India after the country launched unlawful strikes inside Pakistan in May.
Rehman said that the CEC meeting heaped praise on Bilawal for launching "a diplomatic offensive" following Pakistan's response to India's aggression.