ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari held a telephonic conversation on Thursday to discuss the prevailing political situation and key national issues.
According to sources, the prime minister called Bilawal Bhutto and the two leaders exchanged views on the current political environment, the flood situation, and foreign policy matters.
The development comes a day after President Asif Ali Zardari met with senior Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders in Nawabshah, where both parties agreed to halt the exchange of hostile statements.
President Zardari had met Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, and the leaders agreed to resolve political differences through dialogue and understanding.
The rift between the two coalition partners had intensified following PPP chairman’s call for international aid for flood victims — a suggestion that Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz rejected, asking PPP leaders to “keep their advice to themselves” and refusing to apologise for her remarks.
During the Nawabshah meeting, attended also by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, both sides discussed grievances, the exchange of harsh statements, and growing tensions, agreeing to de-escalate and settle issues amicably.
Earlier, Punjab Information Minister Azma Bukhari said that a “Chief Minister’s Relief Card” will be introduced to assist flood victims so that no one has to stand in long queues.
She said that the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) was set up under a law, but flood victims will be assisted through the CM’s relief card. She suggested that everything should be politicised.
Addressing a press conference at the Directorate General Public Relations (DGPR), she said the Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and her team were constantly seen serving people in flood-hit areas.
“You would not have seen such commitment before. There is no area of Punjab affected by floods where the chief minister has not visited. The chief minister and her team worked like labourers in floodwaters. Our PDMA officer, Abdul Rehman, suffered a heart attack and passed away, while Patoki’s Assistant Commissioner Farhan Ahmed also died in the line of duty,” she said.