CM Maryam says 'cleansing minds' of those envying Punjab's progress

• PPP seeks apology from CM over remarks.
• Zardari tasks Naqvi with easing tensions.
• PTI invites PPP to join opposition bloc.

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has said she is not only cleaning Punjab of crime and filth but also "cleansing the minds of those who envy the province’s progress" — continuing the war of words with Sindh.

"Some people get upset when I speak about Punjab — but tell me, which province am I the chief minister of? If I don’t speak for Punjab, then who should?" CM Maryam said while addressing an event on Tuesday.

The war of words, which began over flood compensation through the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), between PPP and PML-N further intensified after the Punjab CM said other parties used the flood devastation in the province for political mileage.

PPP has been calling for the provision of aid to flood victims via BISP — a proposition turned down by the Punjab government.

Addressing the ceremony today, the chief minister said she also wanted Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, and Sindh to be “as clean and developed as Punjab,” adding that all provinces received substantial funds.

"So if your roads are broken, if you must travel in rickety buses, or if wheat is expensive, then ask your own governments why that is," she remarked.

Maryam said progress and prosperity were the right of every citizen and "not something they should have to beg for." She added that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif appreciated her work during their meetings. "I tell him I’ve learnt all this from Nawaz Sharif and Shehbaz Sharif," she said.

Meanwhile, Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari dismissed calls for CM Maryam to apologise to the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).

“What should the chief minister apologise for? If anyone owes an apology, it’s the Sindh government. They started this row; it’s up to them to end it.” Bokhari accused the PPP of targeting the Punjab government to weaken the federation and advised PTI to “set its own house in order.”

The federal government has also stepped in to calm tensions between Sindh and Punjab.

President Asif Ali Zardari has tasked Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi to facilitate mediation between the ruling PML-N and its ally, PPP, sources told Geo News on Tuesday.

Naqvi will meet Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif tomorrow (Wednesday), where he will request that the premier play a role in calming tensions between the two parties, they added.

Meanwhile, PPP leaders Palwasha Khan and Senator Waqar Mehdi continued their criticism of Maryam’s remarks, with Khan saying the PPP was “an ally, not a slave” of the PML-N, and Mehdi alleging that “it seems the niece is plotting against her uncle.”

On the other hand, PTI leader Asad Qaiser invited the PPP to join the opposition benches, saying his party would support a no-confidence move against the government “without any preconditions.”

PTI Secretary-General Salman Akram Raja also claimed that the "friendly tussle" between the PPP and the PML-N would end soon, though he ruled out any possibility of a coalition with the PPP.