Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari strongly criticised the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) on Wednesday for targeting Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz. She said that a party led by a woman should not attack another woman leader. Her remarks came in response to a press conference by PPP leader Qamar Zaman Kaira.
Bokhari accused the PPP of turning the flood relief issue into a political tool. She claimed the party was more interested in press conferences than practical action. She questioned the PPP’s claims that it was not politicising the situation in Punjab. According to her, such attacks would only lead to strong responses from the ruling PML-N.
Read more: PPP demands Maryam Nawaz retract Punjab statements
She also suggested that the PPP should focus on problems in its own provinces. Bokhari noted that Punjab’s government did not need advice from outsiders. She added that any questions about Maryam Nawaz’s leadership were simply unwarranted.
The minister further said that the PPP was free to use the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) in Sindh. However, Punjab had its own systems and would decide independently how to use its resources. She stressed that the province’s treasury was for its own people, not for political bargaining.
This exchange adds fuel to growing tensions between PPP and PML-N, both key allies in the federal coalition. Despite recent talks of reconciliation, the war of words shows the rivalry remains sharp, especially over provincial autonomy and disaster relief.