Overview

• President Asif Ali Zardari assigned Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi to defuse tensions between allies, with Naqvi due to seek Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s help on Wednesday.
• The policy clash centers on PPP’s push to channel assistance through the federal Benazir Income Support Programme versus Punjab’s insistence on a province-run digital relief card.
• PPP intensified pressure through a National Assembly walkout led by Raja Pervaiz Ashraf and signaled its Senate backing is not guaranteed without redress over Punjab ministers’ remarks.
• Punjab leaders stood firm, as Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz defended her rhetoric and Azma Bokhari said flood surveys run from Sept 26 to Oct 26 with relief disbursements starting Oct 17 in 17 tehsils.
• PTI leader Asad Qaiser publicly urged PPP to join the opposition and offered support for a no-confidence motion against the federal government.