Daily Times

While calling on the government to honour the written agreement it signed with the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Chairman of the Senate and former Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani reiterated that the PPP has never been part of the federal cabinet and would not join it in the future.

Speaking to the media in Islamabad, Gillani clarified that although PPP had supported the government but it had never joined the cabinet and had no plans to do so in the future.

“The government needs to implement the written agreement it made with us,” he said.

The former Prime Minister further explained that PPP had concerns with the government, and talks were currently ongoing to address those issues. “As soon as a result is reached, everyone will be informed. Dialogue is the way forward to resolve problems,” he added. Gillani remarks come amid continued political negotiations between PPP and the ruling government, with the party pushing for the terms of its agreement to be fulfilled.

Earlier this week, the second round of talks between the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) ended without significant progress earlier this week. Both sides have agreed to meet again on December 24 or 25, ahead of the PPP’s Central Executive Committee meeting on December 26, where the outcome will be reviewed.

The discussions, held at the National Assembly speaker’s chambers, saw the PPP maintaining its demand for the implementation of a written agreement with the government.

Senior government representatives, including Ishaq Dar and Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, met with PPP leaders Raja Pervez Ashraf, Naveed Qamar, and Syed Kursheed Shah.

A key issue raised by the PPP was the potential reduction in Sindh’s water share, linked to a federal plan to divert water from the Indus River for the Cholistan desert where the PPP argued that the matter should have been referred to the Council of Common Interests (CCI) for broader consultation, as the council has not met for 180 days. PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari also expressed concerns over the lack of consultation with the party on key decisions, particularly the formation of a judicial commission under the 26th Amendment as this marks the first significant rift between the two coalition partners since the PML-N-led government assumed power after the February 2024 elections.