ISLAMABAD  -   Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) is for now unlikely to part ways with the government but has not closed the doors for the Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) either. There have been rumours of a PPP-PTI coalition government but this seems a far cry as both of them continue to attack each other.

Only recently, the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) acceded to all the demands of the PPP regarding the federal budget and the allocation of development funds.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif assured PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari that the government would address the PPP’s concerns on various issues by forming a committee, following rising tensions among the coalition partners over the budget.

The PPP had voiced concerns over not being consulted about the federal budget. The PML-N agreed to the PPP’s demands concerning district administrations, the appointment of law officers, representation on various boards and authorities, the early holding of local bodies elections, and equitable distribution of development funds.

The PPP had also demanded the appointment of an additional secretary in the Punjab Chief Minister Secretariat to specifically address the party’s issues.

The Punjab government will now appoint district deputy commissioners, district police officers, and revenue officers in consultation with the PPP in areas where the party has significant support.

Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb presented the federal budget on June 12. However, the PPP, was unhappy due to lack of consultation during the budget preparation.

Given the PML-N’s lack of majority, there was a genuine concern that the government may struggle to pass the budget in parliament without PPP support.

In February, the PPP and the PML-N had agreed to form a government following a contentious election. The PPP, led by Asif Ali Zardari and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, said it would assist the PML-N in electing a Prime Minister but will not join the federal cabinet. Previously, the two parties were in a coalition that ousted Imran Khan from power in 2022. He is currently imprisoned.

Imran Khan and his party continue to assert that the elections were rigged against them and plan to contest the results. In court, Khan warned against forming a government with “stolen votes.” claiming it would further harm the economy. Authorities have denied rigging allegations.

Now, the PTI has once again emerged as the single largest party after the Supreme Court ordered the Election Commission to grant women and minorities reserved seats to the party in the national and provincial assemblies.

In addition, a district and sessions court overturned the conviction of Imran Khan and his wife Bushra in the case concerning their marriage, which involved violating the mandatory waiting period for a Muslim woman between two marriages.

This relief came a day after the Supreme Court declared that the PTI was eligible for seats reserved for women and minorities in the national and four provincial assemblies.

After the SC verdict, there were rumours that the PTI and the PPP might contact each other to form a new coalition government but later statements from the party leaders proved this was not immediately on the cards.

The PPP and PML-N had previously reached an agreement that the PPP will not support a vote of no-confidence against the Prime Minister. The PML-N will have to seriously annoy the PPP to break this coalition.

The PPP in the meanwhile, has not closed the doors for talks with the PTI and is ready to discuss “everything’ with them. “We believe in democracy and dialogue. We are ready for talks with the PTI anytime and on everything,” said a top PPP leader.