While responding to reservations raised by PPP spokesperson Shazia Marri regarding the government not consulting the party on key decisions, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal on Monday said that differences in a coalition government were inevitable, but they did not necessarily indicate a problem.
Already at odds with the PML-N on how to run the country, the differences between the two parties have been simmering for a while and a recent meeting between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari to revive trust seemingly failed to put an end to these disagreements.
A statement by PPP leader Marri yesterday put the spotlight back on these disagreements as she criticised the PML-N-led government for not consulting her party when making key decisions, which she said included the establishment of the Pakistan Maritime and Seaport Authority. She said that the government’s survival “hinged on PPP’s support” and that the government would “collapse” if that support was withdrawn.
Responding to the PPP leader’s statement today, Iqbal — while speaking to reporters in Karachi along with Sindh Energy Mininster Syed Nasir Hussain Shah — said that “slight differences” were usual when governments were formed via a coalition.
“These problems happen even in a house — between siblings, between husband and wife — but it does not mean it is a problem,” Iqbal said, adding that both parties had managed their differences amicably.
“The two major political parties in the country have their distinct ideologies but one vision, so they have consensus,” he said. “That vision is Pakistan.”
He said that both parties kept their differences aside whenever it came to the country’s development.
“We need to keep our politics aside and both parties have to play their part,” he said, adding that the understanding between the parties existed since the charter of democracy was signed.
“This is the beauty of Pakistan’s politics, that two parties with independent values have such maturity,” he said.
“Rather than harming [the country] with their differences, they collaborate and can work for the country’s future,” he added.
He said that the internal and external challenges faced by Pakistan needed everyone’s joint effort.
“We don’t need the politics of confrontation, we need political collaboration,” he added.
Tensions between the federal government and its ally PPP have deepened, with senior party officials expressing a “lack of confidence” in the federal government.
Issues such as internet restrictions, criticised by PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari as an attempt at censorship, have further strained the ties.
Similarly, protests by PPP lawmakers in parliament, including a walkout over federal ministers’ absence, reflect the growing discord, though the PPP chief has urged continued engagement with the PML-N government.
Despite differences between the two parties, observers believe that the presence of a common adversary — Imran Khan — will compel them to collaborate to maintain the present setup, with the backing of the establishment, which is playing a crucial role in holding this unlikely alliance together.
