By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Tensions within the fragile governing coalition boiled over on Tuesday when lawmakers from the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) walked out of the National Assembly to protest comments by Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, a leader of the dominant Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), escalating a dispute over flood relief and water rights that has exposed deepening provincial divides.
The walkout came a day after Nawaz, at an event in Faisalabad, defended a contentious canal project on the Indus River and rebuffed objections from Sindh province, telling PPP leaders to keep their advice to themselves. What began as a disagreement over compensation through the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) has now broadened into a broader clash over resource allocation amid devastating floods that have submerged vast swaths of the country.
In the lower house of Parliament, PPP lawmaker Naveed Qamar took the floor to voice the party’s grievances, framing the dispute against the backdrop of ongoing flood misery. “Right now, our country is going through a severe flood situation. As we speak, there is a medium-level flood ongoing in my constituency. The onslaught that came from Punjab has more or less subsided but many rural areas are still submerged. Standing crops were also submerged,” Qamar said.
He pointed to a recent report by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) warning that the floods would disrupt upcoming Rabi cultivation, the winter planting season critical to Pakistan’s food security. “Unfortunately, people have not seen rescue efforts following the floods but have seen a lot of politics,” he lamented.
Qamar emphasized restraint on the PPP’s part, saying, “When it comes to it, we can also make fiery speeches. We can also make something an inter-provincial issue but we have mercy on the people of whose responsibility rests on ours shoulders. We cannot absolve ourselves by saying ‘it was because of nature’ and leave people to fend for themselves.”
Acknowledging that some statements had come from his own side, Qamar said, “In the past few days, there have been statements — and I accept some were from our side — but the escalation that followed and the level to which things went is in no way appropriate.”
He recalled PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari’s recent visit to flood-affected areas, where Bhutto-Zardari had commended the Punjab government’s response. “He said that in Punjab, the chief minister and the Punjab government did good work in dealing with the flood situation,” Qamar said, adding that some in his party had disliked the praise, but the rhetoric had since veered in a harmful direction.
Qamar highlighted Sindh’s repeated experience with floods compared to Punjab’s relative inexperience. “In Punjab, a flood of this size has occurred for the first time. But Sindh has suffered this repeatedly […]. We have gone through this experience, and we have learnt from our mistakes,” he said.
Drawing from those lessons, he advocated for direct cash aid over in-kind distributions. “We learnt that instead of sending flour or sacks, give people cash directly so that they can rebuild their lives,” Qamar said.
He portrayed the PPP as a supportive ally offering constructive advice. “We are your allies, we can give you suggestions. The government is yours, you have to make decisions […] but if we give you advice based on our experiences from the past then why do you turn it into criticism? Why make it a Sindh versus Punjab issue?” he asked.
Qamar directly referenced Nawaz’s remarks, saying, “‘Our water, our money, our will’ — what does that mean? What does that imply? This is our country and it belongs to all of us […]. Consider our suggestions; if you don’t like them, don’t accept them, but the response should not be what it has been.”
Expressing personal dismay, he added, “I was very ‘saddened’ by the remarks made by her a day prior.”
Qamar underscored the Indus River’s national significance. “The Indus is the lifeline of Pakistan. If the Indus exists, Pakistan exists; if the Indus does not exist, Pakistan will not exist. It connects the whole country […] it is neither Sindh’s water nor Punjab’s nor any other province’s. It passes through all and benefits everyone,” he said.
Concluding his remarks amid desk-thumping from fellow lawmakers, Qamar declared the alliance untenable under current conditions. “In such a situation, it is becoming very difficult for us to sit on the treasury benches,” he said. “This is not a partnership. We are not getting a fee to sit with you. If you give us respect, we are with you in national interest. We don’t want ministries or anything else.”
He announced the walkout. “Think of the people and look at how partnerships work. We cannot take part in House proceedings until things improve. We are walking out.”
In response, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar expressed regret if the PPP had been upset by Nawaz’s comments and urged dialogue between the parties. The National Assembly session was adjourned until 11 a.m. Friday.
Separately, PPP leader Sherry Rehman addressed the issue in a video posted on the party’s X account, calling for parliamentary debate on floods, canals, and water reservoirs. “Whether it is the floods, the canals issue or regarding water reservoirs, we have never adopted an attitude towards Punjab where anyone could point fingers,” she said.
Rehman stressed the PPP’s decorum. “We have always spoken within the bounds of decency and acted with responsibility. So it is better that both the provinces share their issues with each other,” she said.
Defending the BISP, she noted its international acclaim. “It has been recognised at an international level among social protection programmes,” Rehman said, adding that effective use could have alleviated distress for four million people.
Questioning the alliance’s viability, she said, “How the PPP could be part of such an alliance under the current circumstances and said that the war of words was not the way forward.”
Rehman emphasized public scrutiny and the need for relief. “The people are watching all of us and they are looking toward us. Chairman Bilawal has also made it clear that the people should be given effective and complete relief. There is nothing here for anyone to be offended about,” she said, adding that the environment had made consistent support for the government difficult.
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