Zardari criticizes the PPP on the defeat in Sialkot
President Asif Ali Zardari has shown significant dissatisfaction with the Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) loss in the PP-52 Sialkot (Sambrial) by-election, reprimanding key party leaders for their inadequate performance.
Zardari expressed his worries during his recent political activities at the Governor House in Lahore, where he also convened meetings with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and other prominent political leaders.
In his engagement with the leadership of PPP Punjab, President Zardari explicitly criticized party officials for their management of the by-election campaign in PP-52, voicing apprehension regarding the party’s persistent frailty in the province.
He provided new directives to both central and provincial leadership to restore the party’s influence throughout Punjab.
PPP’s Central Punjab Information Secretary Shahzad Saeed Cheema has asserted that there was no discourse over the PP-52 Sambrial by-election during President Asif Ali Zardari’s recent assembly with party members in Lahore.
He also refuted claims that Zardari reprimanded party officials about the by-election loss, asserting that the party garnered more votes than in the prior elections.
In a meeting with the family of the deceased PPP Punjab president Sheikh Rafiq Ahmad, Zardari lamented the decision not to appoint Sheikh Rafiq as president of Pakistan, asserting that had the party opted for him over Farooq Leghari, it might have avoided subsequent crises and internal betrayals.
Collaboration between the Centre and Punjab
During a distinct discussion with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the two leaders deliberated on the escalating tensions between Pakistan and India, as well as the overarching political climate of the nation.
Insiders report that an agreement has been established to satisfy the concerns of provinces and coalition partners in the forthcoming 2025–26 federal budget.
Sources indicated that PM Shehbaz praised Bilawal Bhutto Zardari for adeptly conveying Pakistan’s stance on India at international platforms, especially amid the current regional tensions.
