The feud between the PPP and the PML-N took another turn on Tuesday as the former staged a walkout of the National Assembly over remarks made by the latter’s leader and Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz a day earlier.
The war of words, which began over flood compensation through the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), had expanded to water rights on the Indus River a day earlier as the Punjab’s chief minister told the PPP leadership to keep its advice to itself.
At an event inaugurating an electric bus service in Faisalabad on Monday, Maryam dismissed Sindh-based objections to a contentious canal project on the Indus River, insisting Punjab was entitled to develop waterways for its people. “If Punjab wants to construct canals for its water, why are you bothered?” CM Maryam said. “It is Punjab’s water.”
“I wouldn’t have stolen water. I would have used it to create waterways and develop Cholistan,” she added. Her remarks were a direct response to fierce opposition from the PPP-led government in the Sindh over a massive infrastructure project involving six new canals on the Indus River.
During her speech, Maryam had also warned the PPP against targeting Punjab’s uplift. “If my opponents (PPP) talk about me, I don’t mind but if they target Punjab and its progress, I will not tolerate and confront them even at their doorstep (Sindh),” she said.
Today, the matter came up in the lower house of Parliament, with PPP’s Naveed Qamar taking the floor.
“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 onsluaght that came from Punjab has more or less subsided but many rural areas are still submerged,” he said, adding that standing crops were also submerged.
He said that the people were looking toward the country’s leadership during this time. He highlighted that a recent report released by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) stated that the floods would also affect upcoming Rabi cultivation.
“Unfortunately, people have not seen rescue efforts following the floods but have seen a lot of politics,” he lamented.
“When it comes to it, we can also make fiery speeches. We can also make something an inter-provincial issue but have mercy on the people of whose responsibility rests on ours shoulders,” Qamar said.
“We cannot absolve ourselves by saying ’it was because of nature’ and leave people to fend for themselves,” he 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 said.
He said that when PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari visited flood-hit areas, the first thing he did was to praise the Punjab government. “He said that in Punjab, the chief minister and the Punjab government did good work in dealing with the flood situation,” he said.
He added that some people from their camp did not like this but then the “escalation” went in another direction.
“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.
“We learnt that instead of sending flour or sacks, give people cash directly so that they can rebuild their lives,” Qamar said.
“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.
“‘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.”
He said he was very “saddened” by the remarks made by Punjab CM Maryam yesterday.
“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 added.
“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 said as other members of the House pounded on their desks.
“Think of the people and look at how partnerships work. We cannot take part in House proceedings until things improve. We are walking out,” he said.
Meanwhile, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said he was apologetic if the PPP was distressed over the comments made by Maryam and called for a dialogue between the two sides.
The NA session was subsequently adjourned till 11am on Friday.
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