ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) said on Sunday the latest round of negotiations with the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party continued in a “positive way” after the PPP expressed reservations about a range of issues following the presentation of the federal budget earlier this month.
The PPP decided to support the PML-N’s efforts to form a coalition government soon after the last general elections in February, though its top leadership announced it was not interested in becoming part of the federal cabinet or getting ministerial posts.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif invited PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari last week to discuss his reservations over the government’s economic and political policies amid efforts to secure a smooth passage for the budget from parliament.
The two leaders agreed to form negotiating teams to discuss all outstanding issues that mostly related to development funds and administrative positions in the country’s most populous Punjab province.
“Different matters were discussed between the two sides, and the talks continued to move forward in a very positive way,” PPP Secretary General in Central Punjab Syed Hassan Murtaza, who is part of his party’s negotiating team, told Arab News after the latest round of talks with the PML-N in Islamabad earlier today.
“We have given all our recommendations regarding the budget, good governance, appointments and transfers [of bureaucracy], funds for ongoing development schemes in Sindh and other areas,” he continued. “We have also urged to release funds for the schemes suggested by the PPP members.”
Murtaza maintained the PPP’s stance and recommendations relating to the federal budget were based on its manifesto that centered on public welfare.
He said the party had also informed the PML-N that PPP leaders must be consulted if the government wanted to make changes to the local government legislation in Punjab.
According to some reports, it was also discussed during the negotiations that an additional secretary be appointed at the chief minister’s secretariat in Punjab, with the sole responsibility of resolving the issues faced by the PPP.
The PPP also wanted a say in the Punjab administration’s decisions to appoint deputy commissioners, district police officers and revenue functionaries in districts where the party boasts active support.
“Now, we will inform our leadership, and the PML-N delegation will consult their leadership on [these issues] before another round of talks is held to move forward,” Murtaza said. “The final decisions will be taken as per the direction of the party leadership.”
‘Positive’ progress in talks between Pakistani parties as government seeks budget’s parliamentary approval
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‘Positive’ progress in talks between Pakistani parties as government seeks budget’s parliamentary approval
- PPP says its recommendations relating to the budget are based on its manifesto that centers on public welfare
- The party has taken up issues related to development funds and administrative positions with the ruling PML-N
Security forces kill four militants in Pakistan’s volatile southwest, military says
- Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province by land area bordering Iran and Afghanistan, has long been the site of a low-level insurgency
- The Balochistan government has recently established a threat assessment center to strengthen early warning, prevent ‘terrorism’ incidents
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani security forces gunned down four militants in an intelligence-based operation in the southwestern Balochistan province, the military said on Tuesday.
The operation was conducted in Balochistan’s Kalat district on reports about the presence of militants, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the Pakistani military’s media wing.
The “Indian-sponsored militants” were killed in an exchange of fire during the operation, while weapons and ammunition were also recovered from the deceased, who remained actively involved in numerous militant activities.
“Sanitization operations are being conducted to eliminate any other Indian-sponsored terrorist found in the area,” the ISPR said in a statement.
There was no immediate response from New Delhi to the statement.
Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province by land area bordering Iran and Afghanistan, has long been the site of a low-level insurgency involving Baloch separatist groups, including the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and the Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF).
Pakistan accuses India of supporting these separatist militant groups and describes them as “Fitna Al-Hindustan.” New Delhi denies the allegation.
The government in Balochistan has also established a state-of-the-art threat assessment center to strengthen early warning and prevention against “terrorism” incidents, a senior official said this week.
“Information that was once scattered is now shared and acted upon in time, allowing the state to move from reacting after incidents to preventing them before they occur,” Balochistan Additional Chief Secretary Hamza Shafqaat wrote on X.
The development follows a steep rise in militancy-related deaths in Pakistan in 2025. According to statistics released by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) last month, combat-related deaths in 2025 rose 73 percent to 3,387.
These included 2,115 militants, 664 security forces personnel, 580 civilians and 28 members of pro-government peace committees, the think tank said.
