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Punjab CM Maryam Nawaz, PPP Clash Over Flood Aid and Water Rights
Punjab CM Maryam Nawaz hits back at PPP over flood relief, saying “Maryam Nawaz Sharif will never apologise.” PPP lawmakers boycotted NA & Senate over her remarks, deepening the rift on water rights.
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by Muhammad Hashir
2025-10-03
Punjab CM Maryam Nawaz, PPP Clash Over Flood Aid and Water Rights

Islamabad/Lahore: The ongoing war of words between the PML-N-led Punjab government and the PPP leadership has escalated from disputes over flood compensation to water rights, triggering walkouts by PPP lawmakers from parliament and fiery exchanges in public forums.

On Wednesday, senior leaders of both parties held a meeting in Islamabad to defuse tensions, during which PPP reportedly urged Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif to “rethink her tone” when addressing sensitive inter-provincial issues such as water distribution.

Addressing a ceremony in Lahore, CM Maryam strongly criticized the PPP, accusing its leaders of exploiting Punjab’s suffering during recent floods for political mileage.

“When floods swept through Punjab, the people of one province not only wrongly criticised the Punjab government, but they also rubbed salt in the wound,” Maryam said.

She emphasized that she had extended offers of assistance to flood-hit areas in other provinces, including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, despite political differences. “Those in other provinces are my Pakistani brothers and sisters,” she said, adding that her government never celebrated the misfortunes of others.

Maryam lashed out at PPP leaders, including Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, for what she termed “mockery and lies” during press conferences. She said she had chosen to remain silent earlier but would now respond “befittingly” to any criticism.

“If I respond to anyone, I raise my voice for my people. Maryam Nawaz Sharif will never apologise,” she asserted.

The Punjab CM also defended her stance on flood relief distribution, saying she relied on her own damage assessment teams rather than BISP data, deploying 10,000 officials to reach flood-hit families directly.

Turning to the contentious issue of water distribution and canal projects, Maryam said:

“That water is the right of Punjab’s farmers, but it was politicised. I brought the case of Punjab’s people before the Council of Common Interests.”

She warned PPP leaders to “think 100 times” before making negative remarks about Punjab and stressed that protecting the dignity of her people was her foremost duty.

Meanwhile, she distanced herself from derogatory remarks against Sindh made by YouTuber Rizwan Razi, noting that he had already apologized in the Senate. “When someone apologises, you forgive them, right? But these people [PPP] made fun of him. Still, I remained silent.”

PPP lawmakers, however, staged walkouts from both the National Assembly and Senate, signaling that the matter had strained relations between the coalition partners.

The dispute underscores the fragile balance in Pakistan’s politics, where provincial sensitivities over disaster relief and water rights often fuel deeper divisions between parties, despite their need to cooperate at the federal level.
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