Punjab’s ‘power move’ riles political spectrum

A POWER move by the PML-N government in Punjab, apparently aimed at securing its support base in the most populous province, has put an already-fragile alliance in the Centre, led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, to the test. Besides the opposition PTI, the PPP and MQM-Pakistan — both of whom are PML-N’s partners in the federal government — have also questioned the rationale behind such a move, with Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah calling the decision ‘foolish’ and saying it would aggravate the sense of deprivation in his province. Before CM Murad, MQM’s Mustafa Kamal had demanded the premier announce a matching relief for the entire country. However, Punjab CM Maryam Nawaz hit back, saying the subsidy was funded by the provincial government and asked the Sindh government to provide relief in power bills instead of criticising her initiative.