Punjab Governor Sardar Saleem Haider Khan termed the alliance between the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) a “compulsion, not love” and said that the system could be derailed even by a little irresponsibility.
Addressing a presser alongside his Khyber Pakhtunkhwa counterpart, Faisal Karim Kundi, Governor Khan said that the two parties joined forces after the General Elections 2024 to ensure government stability.
“At least two parties had to join forces for the government formation,” he added. The Punjab governor maintained that the alliance serves Pakistan’s interests, saying, “Pakistan is our top priority.” “Even a little irresponsibility could derail the system,” he warned. He said that the workers of both parties are not ready to accept each other and added, “PPP’s participation in the government was out of necessity, which has cost the party politically.” The Punjab governor said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had assured the PPP that its reservations would be addressed soon. He said that even the PML-N leadership had admitted it could not fulfil many promises.
Governor Khan also voiced his support for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) jailed founder Imran Khan’s meeting with CM Sohail Afridi, saying that Afridi should be allowed to meet his leader Speaking on the occasion, the KP governor said the law and order situation in the province will worsen without intelligence-based operations being conducted by security forces on a regular basis. He said that around 80% of terrorist activities in KP originate from across the Afghan border, adding that India is exploiting Afghan nationals for anti-Pakistan activities.
Governor Kundi was of the view that CM Afridi should personally attend meetings concerning law and order to strengthen coordination. He also suggested the formation of a jirga to discuss KP’s concerns with Islamabad. “We must talk about our provincial rights and the NFC Award as our population has increased significantly,” he said. Governor Kundi said that the recent differences between the PPP and PML-N have eased after his party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.