ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) on Saturday called on the federal government to provide immediate cash assistance to flood-affected families through the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), while censuring the Punjab government for what it termed “Imran Khan’s style of language” against a coalition partner.
At a joint press conference, PPP Secretary General Humayun Khan, Senator Palwasha Khan, and the party’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa President Mohammad Ali Shah Bacha said thousands of families in Punjab, Sindh and KP had been devastated by recent floods and needed urgent relief.
Humayun said the PPP had always raised its voice for the poor. He praised Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for accepting Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari’s demand to declare an agricultural emergency and to offer relief in power bills. He added that BISP’s existing database should be used to disburse direct cash support, as during the 2022 floods when Rs25,000 per family was given. Criticising wheat imports, he argued that “if farmers prosper, the economy stabilises”.
Senator Palwasha Khan condemned the Punjab government for using “inappropriate language” against its ally. She questioned Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s statement that Punjab would not beg for aid, saying: “If the federal government turns to the IMF, then why can’t provinces seek help in disasters? Globally, appeals for assistance are routine.” She stressed that Punjab did not belong to any one party, nor was any province a political fiefdom.
Mohammad Ali Shah Bacha described the devastation in KP as catastrophic, claiming that entire villages had been wiped out by cloudbursts. “In Buner alone, over 400 lives were lost. In some villages, 80 members of a single community and 20 from one family perished,” he said, terming the provincial government’s response “disappointing.” He thanked the Sindh and Balochistan governments, as well as BISP Chairperson Rubina Khalid, for extending support, but criticised both federal and provincial authorities for failing to provide sustained relief.
The PPP leaders reaffirmed their commitment to supporting the PMLN in the larger interest of democracy and the Constitution, but insisted on urgent measures for flood victims, including a waiver of electricity bills until rehabilitation is complete.