
President meet splits PPP's Pindi chapter
Internal divisions within the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Rawalpindi chapter have intensified, with growing factionalism and deepening rifts among party workers and groups after a select-group of activists managed to meet President Asif Ali Zardari.
The already simmering tensions among PPP loyalists have been further aggravated by a recent meeting at Aiwan-e-Sadr, where only select party activists were invited to meet the President of Pakistan.
Many sidelined party officials and workers have expressed strong dissatisfaction and anger over being excluded from the meeting.
The gathering, arranged on the occasion of Eidul Azha, was authorised by the Aiwan-e-Sadr and organised by former presidential spokesperson and ex-Managing Director of Baitul Mal, Aamir Fida Paracha.
According to local PPP workers, the Eid meeting was kept entirely under wraps, with no prior notice or communication to the wider party leadership.
Only a small number of individualsbelonging to a specific factionwere granted access to the President, while many senior party workers, long-time office bearers, and elected local representatives were completely overlooked.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Express Tribune
4 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Sindh CM shares grievances with centre in post-budget press conference
Listen to article Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah criticised the federal government for failing to meet its financial commitments to the province, while promising enhanced development and relief measures in the 2025–26 budget. Speaking at a post-budget press conference on Saturday, Shah said the provincial budget totalled Rs3.45 trillion, with a record Rs1.018 trillion allocated for development projects. He warned that these figures could change depending on whether the federal government meets its revenue transfer obligations. He announced that 1,460 development schemes, worth Rs590 billion, will be completed this fiscal year. This marks a record for the province. On public sector salaries, Shah confirmed a 12% increase for employees in grades 1–16 and a 10% raise for those in grades 17–22. Total expenditure on salaries and pensions will reach Rs1.1 trillion. Sector-wise, education has seen an 18% increase in budget allocation, healthcare 11%, local government 5%, and energy 16.5%. The transport department will receive Rs 59.6 billion, while agriculture will get Rs 22.5 billion. Rs132 billion has been earmarked for local bodies and Rs43 billion for irrigation. For Karachi alone, a dedicated budget of Rs236 billion has been allocated — excluding the Rs95 billion public-private partnership projects already underway. The CM made bold claims regarding rehabilitation efforts for flood-affected areas, stating that 500,000 houses have been completed, 850,000 are near completion, and 1.3 million are under construction. He said international institutions, including the World Bank, have recognised the effort as a global model of success. He also cited a massive rural drainage and water supply initiative worth Rs600 billion, which will be locally implemented and NGO-supervised. On taxation, Shah stated that no new taxes have been imposed. In fact, several taxes have been eliminated, including restaurant and entertainment levies. Third-party motorcycle insurance has been exempted, stamp duties reduced, and numerous administrative fees halved. In agriculture, the CM announced free laser levellers for small farmers and an 80% subsidy for large-scale cultivators. He also introduced cluster farming as a new model. The Sindh Institute of Child Health was described as the world's largest such network. Initiatives for persons with disabilities, youth development centres, and new school schemes were also unveiled. Shah openly criticised the federal government for excluding major Sindh projects — such as the K-IV water supply project, desalination plants, and other energy-related infrastructure — from the federal Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP). He warned that the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) would not support the federal budget if Sindh does not receive a fair share. 'We are not part of the federal coalition, only offering conditional support. If Sindh is not treated equally, we will withdraw our backing,' he said. Shah defended the procurement of helicopters and official vehicles, adding that a ban on new vehicle purchases would be enforced starting next year. Concluding his address, the CM said the Sindh government is working with clear direction and intent for public welfare — as reflected in the increased public mandate in the last election.


Express Tribune
10 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Confusion reigns as PPP sends mixed signals on budget protest
Confusion continues to swirl within the PPP over its purported plans to stage a nationwide protest against the federal budget, as conflicting voices emerge from within the party's ranks. While some insiders deny any such plan, others maintain that a strategy was indeed in the works, but mainly being driven by the party's Punjab wing, as the central party has not been fully engaged in the decision. The Pakistan Peoples Party, whose senior leader Chaudhary Manzoor announced a countrywide protest against the budget draft, remains a key coalition partner in the federal government. Without its backing, the PML-N-led government would be left out on a limb. Any official protest call by the party's central leadership would signal a withdrawal of support for the finance bill, throwing the budget's passage into serious doubt. However, party leaders The Express Tribune spoke to suggested that Manzoor's call was more of a solo flight than a coordinated party line. While some leaders in central Punjab are rallying behind it, the move has not received a formal green light from the party's top brass. According to insiders, the protest plan was being shaped as an attempt to tap into the growing discontent among farmers and labourers who were being left high and dry by the government's policies. The party, by reaching out to farmers and labourers, would try to gather support before embarking on any protest plan, as it lacks sufficient muscle in Punjab to hit the roads without them. Senior Vice President Central Punjab Rana Farooq Saeed said they had not been informed by the party about any protest plan. He questioned under whose authority Manzoor had made the call. However, he added that the party does not approve of the budget, as it offered nothing for farmers and labourers. "It would be wrong to even call it a budget," he said. However, despite these reservations, the party has yet to take a formal decision. "Given that we are allies in the centre, we cannot give out impulsive statements against the budget," he said. Central Party General Secretary Hasan Murtaza avoided giving a direct answer regarding any party plans to hold a protest demonstration throughout the country. He said they were allies of the government and would try to knock some sense into the PML-N over the glaring discrepancies in the budget. If dialogue failed, he added, they would ultimately hit the roads. When asked if the central party had rejected the budget, which would mean the PPP would withhold support, he said that decision would be taken by the central leadership. However, he clarified that the party would not "stand in for PML-N's mistakes". "They will not carry their weight while they suck the life out of poor people and line their own pockets," he said. He listed several grievances, from the failure to renegotiate capacity payments to the taxation of solar panels. When asked about senior leader Naveed Qamar's acknowledgement of thorough consultation sessions with the PML-N on the budget, he responded that "consultation does not mean that their inputs are being incorporated". On Thursday, several media outlets reported that the PPP had rejected the federal budget for the upcoming fiscal year and announced a nationwide protest campaign against it. The impression was formed after Chaudhary Manzoor Ahmad, who heads the PPP's People's Labour Bureau, lambasted the federal government at a press conference in Islamabad for presenting a budget that favours the wealthy and ignores the miseries of the working class and poor. The PPP leader said the party had started contacting trade unions across the country to mobilise support for protest demonstrations. He stated that demonstrations would be held in all provinces before the passage of the federal budget in the National Assembly. When senior PPP leader Naveed Qamar was asked to comment on the budget, he said the party recognised that the government was walking a tightrope under the IMF programme. However, he also said the government's policies were misaligned and that if the PPP were designing the budget, it would have been vastly different. At no point during the programme did he outright reject the budget or announce plans for protest rallies.


Express Tribune
10 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Sindh budget focuses on social, urban uplift
Listen to article The PPP's Sindh government on Friday unveiled a Rs3,451.87 billion budget for the fiscal year 2025-2026 — representing a 12.9% increase compared to the previous year's budget of Rs3,056.3 billion and a deficit of Rs38.458 billion. Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, who also holds the portfolio of provincial finance minister, presented the proposed budget in the Sindh Assembly, where the PPP holds a two-thirds majority. Shah announced a salary increase of 12% for government employees from grades-1 to grade-16 and a 10% raise for officers of grade-17 through grade-22. He also announced an 8% increase in pensions. "We are introducing a finance bill to abolish and decrease some taxes/levies/cess instead of increasing them," the CM stated amid a round of applause. "The budget emphasizes increased allocations for education, health, infrastructure, and social welfare, along with strategic initiatives to modernize governance and stimulate economic growth," he said. The province's receipts for FY 2025-26 are projected at Rs3,411.5 billion, marking an 11.6% rise compared to the current year. Federal divisible pool transfers, which constitute 75% of total revenue, are estimated at Rs1,927.3 billion, a 10.2% increase, despite a 5.5% shortfall in the current year's revised estimates. Additional federal transfers, including straight transfers and grants to offset losses from the abolition of the Octroi and Zila Tax (OZT), are also set to increase, bringing total federal transfers to Rs2,095.6 billion. The Current Revenue Expenditure (CRE) is set at Rs2,149.4 billion, reflecting a 12.4% increase from Rs1,912.36 billion in FY 2024-25. This rise is due to inflationary pressures, increased grants to non-financial institutions such as hospitals and universities, salary relief allowances for government employees, and higher pension payments. Total expenditure is expected to increase by 12.9% to Rs3,450 billion. Current revenue expenditure will grow by 12.4% to Rs2,150 billion, driven by salary and pension hikes (6%), grants to local bodies (3%), and substantial increases in key sectors. The police department has been allocated Rs189.75 billion, reflecting an increase of 15.7%. The health sector has been allocated Rs336.46 billion, with an 11.3% increase, while Rs518.05 billion has been allocated for the education sector, showing an 18% increase. Additionally, Rs20 billion has been allocated for Pro-Poor Social Protection and Economic Sustainability Initiatives, highlighting the government's focus on inclusive growth. To improve transparency and efficiency, education-related funds will be directly disbursed to schools. Grants-in-aid totaling Rs702 billion have been allocated for various government and non-financial institutions, based on directives from the Chief Minister's Secretariat and the Finance Department.