Coalition partners PPP, PML-N seek to bridge differences amid strained ties

Coalition partners PPP, PML-N seek to bridge differences against the backdrop of strained ties.

Key points

• Ahmad Fraz Khan Published September 12, 2026 Updated September 12, 2026 08: 30pm.
• The PPP delegation included former prime minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Punjab Governor Sardar Saleem Haider Khan, Hassan Murtaza, Qamar Zaman Kaira and Ali Qasim Gilani.
• Last week, the PPP questioned Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's silence over the debate on creating new provinces and sought his stance on the matter.
• Ahmad Fraz Khan is a Lahore-based reporter for Dawn with four decades of experience in the field.
• The PML-N-led administration enjoys a two-thirds majority in the National Asse­mbly with the PPP's backing.

Ahmad Fraz Khan Published September 12, 2026 Updated September 12, 2026 08: 30pm. Join our Whatsapp Channel. Add Dawn as a trusted source.

LAHORE: Differences continued to mar the working relationship between the PPP and PML-N as the coalition partners' coordination committees met on Saturday to resolve outstanding problems and iron out their differences.

Meanwhile, the PML-N-led administration enjoys a two-thirds majority in the National Asse­mbly with the PPP's backing.

For context, the session, held after months of strained relations during the acrimonious election campaigns in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, did not go smoothly, according to insiders.

In practice, the PPP delegation included former prime minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Punjab Governor Sardar Saleem Haider Khan, Hassan Murtaza, Qamar Zaman Kaira and Ali Qasim Gilani.

Representing the PML-N were Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah and Khawaja Saad Rafique.

As a coalition partner, it was paying a heavy political cost for the PML-N government's failure on multiple fronts, including runaway inflation, rising petroleum costs, the unresolved farming crisis, load-shedding and delays in local administration elections, the PPP protested that.

For context, the PML-N, by contrast, maintained that instead of acting as a coalition partner and sharing responsibility, the PPP was behaving more like an opposition party and exploiting public problems for political gains, despite knowing that the administration had little control over factors such as petroleum rates and inflation.

"There were moments of heated debate, but tempers soon cooled as both sides knew that they had no option but to work together as political guarantors of the system, " one of the participants informed Dawn.

Notably, the PML-N additionally invited Punjab Inspector General of Police Rao Abdul Karim to address the PPP's worries relating to police matters and assured the party of its share in development schemes.

For context, the PPP, nevertheless, recalled that previous decisions taken on both matters had not been implemented and had effectively been forgotten.

Nevertheless, the bad blood and trust deficit that had built up over months of acrimonious relations between the two coalition partners may take a number of more meetings and confidence-building measures to overcome, the participant noted, adding: "Both sides agreed to implement decisions taken previously, meet more regularly and work together to improve governance."

Notably, the two sides additionally agreed to maintain the consultation process and continue working together to resolve differences and address coalition-related matters through mutual understanding and in the national interest.

For context, the PPP and PML-N were engaged in a war of words after the PML-N's emergence as the winner of the first phase of elections in AJK.

For context, the PPP had earlier maintained that any move to create extra federating units must follow the procedure laid down in the Constitution. Nevertheless, the PPP-led Sindh administration on Wednesday obtained a resolution passed by the provincial assembly opposing any further division of the country's existing four provinces.

Ahmad Fraz Khan is a Lahore-based reporter for Dawn with four decades of experience in the field. His reporting portfolio includes coverage of agriculture, the energy sector, and religio-political parties. He can be discovered on X at @AFKhan.

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