Overview

• At a Lahore event, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz refused to apologise and asserted Punjab’s authority over water use, cautioning against politicising canal reforms and noting the matter sits before the CCI.
• PPP lawmakers staged a National Assembly walkout over her remarks, as Syed Naveed Qamar objected on the floor and Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar pledged resolution through dialogue in the coming days.
• The central dispute remains flood relief delivery, with PPP urging Benazir Income Support Programme disbursements while Punjab pursues its own relief and ration cards funded from provincial resources.
• The canal issue intensified the rhetoric, with PPP’s Nisar Khuhro calling Maryam’s position contrary to CCI decisions and Punjab’s Azma Bokhari rejecting what she termed interference in provincial affairs.
• Separately, Maryam launched Phase-II of Lahore’s electric bus service, announcing 70 more buses by December, free rides for priority groups, and expansion to other cities toward a 500-bus Lahore Division fleet.