PPP freezes govt support amid grievances

"It takes two hands to clap. "Qamar said a problem persisted when a political party had reservations that had not been addressed. "We have conveyed some complaints to the government," he said, adding that if the government expected the PPP to support it, its grievances should also be addressed.

"Our complaints relate to the Kashmir elections, the appointment of judges and other issues," Qamar said, adding that the government had so far assured the PPP that it would look into its complaints, but no progress had been made from the government's side.

Qamar said the PPP had therefore decided that until there was progress from the government, it would not support the government in its legislative business. The decision could complicate the government's efforts to push through legislation, particularly on bills where it requires the PPP's support.

Bilawal had earlier said the PPP would withhold support for government legislation until its outstanding concerns were addressed. Referring to parliamentary proceedings, Qamar said an attempt had been made on the previous day to bulldoze a bill through the Senate Standing Committee on Interior.

He said the PPP should not support the Islamabad local government bill in any case, adding that his party had submitted a dissenting note on the legislation. "The government should resolve these issues and take steps in this regard," he said.

Referring to Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, Qamar said the minister was currently not in the country. "I do not know where he is active," he added. The latest disagreement comes after weeks of friction between the PPP and PML-N over the conduct of the AJK elections and the appointment of judges.

The dispute over judicial appointments followed the acrimony generated by the AJK polls as the coalition partners also found themselves at odds over other political issues. The PPP has maintained that its concerns over the AJK elections were not adequately addressed despite being raised before the election commission, Parliament and other constitutional forums.

Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has also alleged that political and administrative machinery was used during the AJK election process and that commitments made to the PPP before the formation of the federal government were not honoured.

It is pertinent to note that earlier this week, AJK PPP leader and former prime minister Faisal Mumtaz Rathore accused the PML-N of prioritising political power over the interests of the state. He called for doubling AJK's budget and ensuring a level playing field for all political parties in the region.

Rathore said unrest in AJK could not be treated as a purely regional matter, stressing that the region's stability had direct political, economic and social implications for Pakistan. He said the situation in AJK over the past three months had caused serious concern among the people of the region as well as the wider Pakistani public.

The issues confronting AJK, he added, could not be ignored because the relationship between Pakistan and Kashmir was rooted in shared history, ideology and emotion.