LAHORE:
The political spat between the PML-N and the PPP which respectively rule over Punjab and Sindh provinces initially stemmed from disagreements over the use of the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) for flood victims’ relief.
However, the altercation between the two partieswhose marriage of convenience sustains the current political dispensationintensified on Monday, as Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz raised the spectre of constructing the highly contentious Cholistan canal in a speech the PPP denounced as “hateful and divisive”.
Addressing the launch of electric buses in Faisalabad, Maryam declared she would not bow to “unwarranted criticism” and hinted at pushing ahead with the Cholistan canal projecta move that has already strained the coalition partnership.
Taking a direct swipe at the PPP, Maryam said: “What is it to you, if from our own water and our own money we want to irrigate our own land in the Cholistan Desert?”
Across the border, where, according to her, there is no bickering, they have already irrigated their desert and are reaping agricultural produce. “If they can do it, why can’t we? We are not robbing anyone of their water.” She accused the PPP of objecting to every initiative of her government, from electricity relief to irrigation projects.
“I stayed silent before, but now they are criticizing us for using Punjab’s own resources to help our people. This money belongs to the people of Punjab. If we don’t spend it on them, then what are we supposed to spend it on?” she asked.
Maryam asserted that she did not need permission from anyone to serve Punjab.
“When it comes to the people of Punjab and Punjabis, we won’t let you have it easy,” she declared. She criticized the PPP for, in her words, “attacking the prime minister and myself” merely for refusing to seek international aid.
“Unfortunately, they think begging is the solution to every problem. Every province gets its share from the NFC. If it is not to be spent on our people, then what is it for?”
Responding to the PPP’s objection over not using BISP data, Maryam said the BISP is meant for small cash disbursements to the underprivileged, whereas her government’s rehabilitation programme was far more substantial.
“The BISP gives Rs 10,000, but our government is aiming to give Rs1 million to those who lost their houses and Rs500,000 to those who lost their livestock. Half a million people have lost their homes. Dozens of teams are already on the ground conducting a survey of the losses,” she said.
The sharp remarks drew strong reactions from PPP leaders.
Sindh’s Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon expressed “deep disappointment” in a social media post, describing Maryam’s comments as “divisive and hateful rhetoric” and promising a detailed rebuttal in a Tuesday press conference.
PPP’s Central Information Secretary Shazia Marri also hit back, stating: “Leaders don’t issue threatsthey show service and performance. The PPP has always chosen patience despite criticism.”
She noted that PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto had called for immediate relief through the BISP, recalling that during the 2022 floods victims were given Rs25,000 per family through the programme, and in 2025 Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also relied on BISP data for the Ramzan package.
“We will continue focusing on farmers and flood-affected people in Sindh. Leaders serve; they don’t give threats. In times of natural disaster, it is not about ego and pride but about helping people. Our relief work is our priority,” Marri stressed.
Her remarks prompted a counterattack from Punjab Minister for Information and Culture Azma Bokhari, who accused the PPP of acting like a “know-it-all”.
“They are the ones issuing dictations and at the same time giving threats. Where you don’t have a mandate, don’t try to forcibly build a mosque on borrowed land. Such attempts will never succeed,” she warned.
Azma further said that if Bilawal wanted to prove his performance, he should do so in Sindh where the PPP governs. “Punjab’s people have given their mandate to Maryam Nawaz. She understands their problems and is already addressing them effectively,” Bokhari argued.
She mocked the PPP’s reliance on BISP stipends: “The Punjab government will not engage in token politics by distributing Rs12,000 handouts. Such lollipops should be reserved for Sindh.”
She reminded PPP leaders that “this is not 2022 but 2025,” adding that Punjab stood firm on its development and welfare agenda and would not bow to external pressure.
When asked by The Express Tribune whether the Punjab government was indeed considering reviving the shelved Cholistan canal project, Azma responded briefly: “Let’s see.”
