PPP calls CEC meeting amid widening rift with PML-N

KARACHI: Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has convened a meeting of the party’s Central Executive Committee in Karachi on October 18 as tensions with coalition partner Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz deepen. A party statement said the CEC will review the political situation and set strategy.

The rift has widened since the row over distribution of flood compensation funds via the Benazir Income Support Programme, followed by sharp exchanges after Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz criticised rivals over relief politics. Senior PPP leader and former National Assembly speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf staged a walkout from the lower house on October 6, warning of a boycott until Punjab ministers clarified their remarks about Sindh.

Amid the standoff, PTI’s Asad Qaiser offered PPP support to move a no-confidence motion in the National Assembly. Prime Minister’s adviser Rana Sanaullah suggested that direct engagement among top leaders—such as Asif Ali Zardari and Shehbaz or Nawaz Sharif—could defuse the dispute.

PPP’s Qamar Zaman Kaira said the party’s grievance is with PML-N rather than the federal government, cautioning that an escalation in tone would further strain relations.