PPP threatens to leave Pak govt coalition over flawed digital census

The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), a mainstream political force and a supporting pillar to the current ruling coalition government of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), has threatened to part ways from the federal government if it fails to meet and fulfil its promises of conducting an unbiased digital census and giving relief to the flood victims of the Sindh province.

PPP leader and incumbent Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has stated that it would be very difficult for his party to retain its position as part of the coalition government as there remained many promises pending fulfilment, which he said were coupled with major reservations over the manner the digital census exercise was being conducted.

Bilawal said that it was unacceptable that elections that elections would be held in one province as per the previous census data, while elections in other provinces would be held after completion of the ongoing digital census, which in itself has many flaws in it.

Reminding the federal government of its promises, Bilawal said that his party leadership will take up the matter with the government in the National Assembly and he would speak to the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, asking him to fulfil his promises of relief aids for the flood hit Sindh province.

As per details of the flood relief for the province, at least 13.5 billion PKR was needed to provide relief to the affected farmers through the subsidy programme.

It was decided between the Sindh provincial government of PPP and the federal government that at least 4.7 billion PKR grant would be provided by the federal government, while the remaining 8.3 billion PKR would be provided by the Sindh government.

"We will take up the issue in the National Assembly. We would also speak to the premier to fulfil the promises made to the flood victims, otherwise it would be very difficult for the PPP to be part of the federal government.

"The digital census was being conducted at a time when general elections were being anticipated. How is it justified that elections to one provincial assembly is held on the bases of 2018 census, while the other on the digital census?" he queried.

Bilawal was referring to the decision of the Supreme Court of Pakistan to have elections conducted in the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) provinces by April 30 after former Prime Minister Imran Khan announced dissolution of both of his controlled assemblies to pressure the federal government to go into early general elections in the country.

PPP has been insisting that a census be done across the country before going into the general elections, highlighting that elections in the country should be held together, after the completion of the census and fresh distribution of constituencies as per population of each province.

The party's threat of parting ways is being considered as a serious challenge for the Shehbaz Sharif government as it cannot afford to tip off any of its coalition political partners.