ISLAMABAD/LONDON: The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) on Friday refused to support the government in Parliament until tangible progress was made on the AJK elections and judicial appointments. Talking to the media at the Parliament House, Syed Naveed Qamar said the PPP was not a "complete ally" of the government, although it continued to support it on various matters. "It takes two to tango," he said, stressing that the government would also have to address the PPP's concerns if it expected its support.
He said the PPP had conveyed several complaints to the government regarding the AJK elections, appointment of judges and other issues. "The government had assured us that all our grievances would be examined, but no progress has been made so far," he added. "The PPP has decided that until there is progress from the government's side, we will not support the government in its functioning," Naveed said. He asked the government to take concrete steps to resolve the issues raised by his party.
Referring to Thursday's meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Interior, Naveed said an attempt had been made to "bulldoze" a bill through the committee. He said the PPP could not support the Islamabad Capital Territory Local Government (Amendment) Bill, 2026, in its present form and had recorded a dissenting note in this regard. He also criticised the government for handling the legislation, saying the issues should be resolved through consultation rather than being pushed through the parliamentary process. Asked about Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, he said the minister was currently not in the country.
In a related development, President Asif Ali Zardari gave a categorical "no" to Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi during a tense and important meeting on Park Lane. Naqvi met the president within three hours of his arrival in London, credible sources told. During the meeting lasting over an hour, the two discussed the country's political situation, national issues and the ongoing debate over the creation of new provinces. Naqvi conveyed a message to President Zardari from the relevant quarters about the importance of creating new provinces and why the PPP should accept the proposals in the "wider political and national interest". Zardari, however, told Naqvi to convey to the relevant quarters that "dividing Sindh, or anything similar to that, was a no-go area for his party," according to a source.