No-trust motion sparks war of words as Asif rebukes Asad Qaiser

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Monday dismissed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Asad Qaiser’s call for the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) to table a no-confidence motion against the government, saying Qaiser should “put his own house in order first.”

Earlier in the day, Qaiser had offered PTI’s full support to the PPP if it chose to move such a motion in the National Assembly, urging the party to “stop friendly fire” and directly challenge the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)-led government.

“If they [PPP] are serious, they should bring a no-confidence motion — we’ll back it,” Qaiser said, adding, “We’ll help them topple the PML-N government in the Centre. I’m offering our complete support if they act now.”

The PTI leader made the remarks while addressing the National Assembly, following a walkout by PPP lawmakers protesting Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s criticism of their party.

In response, Asif launched a sharp rebuttal, pointing to rifts within PTI, saying, “Your own leadership is at odds with KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and Aleema Khan exchanging accusations in public. Mind your own household and leave ours alone.”

The defence minister stressed that his party did not wish to engage in confrontation with the PPP and that internal matters would be addressed upon Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s return from his foreign trip.

Asif also remarked that Maryam Nawaz represents the future leadership of PML-N, while Asif Ali Zardari has the political wisdom to avoid escalation. “Zardari has decades of experience and believes in reconciliation, not conflict,” he said.

Commenting on Nawaz Sharif’s health, Asif added that the former premier’s condition had improved and that his absence had fueled unnecessary speculation. “Some individuals who once benefited from him are now spreading false narratives,” he noted.

In recent days, the PPP and PML-N the key ruling parties at the Centre are engaged in a fierce war of words over flood relief, water resources, and the performance of their respective provincial governments in Sindh and Punjab.

Zardari calls Naqvi to Karachi

As the exchange of blows intensified, President Asif Ali Zardari stepped in to calm down the tensions between the PPP and PML-N.

President Zardari spoke with Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi over the phone to discuss the ongoing dispute between Sindh and Punjab, according to a post on the President of Pakistan’s official X account.

“The President has called the Interior Minister to Karachi for an urgent meeting in this regard,” it added.

PPP has, earlier this month, staged walkouts from the National Assembly and Senate sessions over Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s criticism of the Sindh government.

The party had demanded that the Punjab CM should apologise for her cutting statements, a demand swiftly rejected by her and the Punjab government ministers.

While reiterating her party’s stance on the rehabilitation of flood affectees, PPP Vice Chairman Senator Sherry Rehman lamented that a war of words was going on at a time when people in the flood-hit areas were awaiting aid.

“We are asking for aid for the flood affectees in Punjab. It is weird ff somebody is irked by it,” she said.

In an apparent reference to the Punjab CM’s remarks that “there is no need to beg for money when we can spend on our own people”, the PPP leader said that “you are still asking the IMF [International Monetary Fund] for Climate Fund”.

Senator Rehman criticised the Punjab government for allegedly revoking PPP leader Ali Haider Gilani’s security details.

“Everybody knows that Ali Haider Gilani has been abducted before. The Punjab government still revoked his security details,” she stated.

Punjab Information Minister Azma Bukhari also doubled down on her criticism of the PPP, saying that the Punjab government “will continue to fight” for the province.

Taking a dig at the PPP-led Sindh government, Bukhari said: “They [PPP] are our allies and we respect them. But you [PPP] have nothing to talk about Sindh.”

Firing a fresh salvo at the PPP-led provincial government, she asked the Bhutto-led party to “name 17 projects in their 17-year tenure” in Sindh.