New Rift Emerges Between Shehbaz Sharif and Bilawal Bhutto Over Non-Convening of Council of Common Interests Meeting

Islamabad: A new political rift has emerged between the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) (PML-N) over the non-convening of the Council of Common Interests (CCI) meeting, with both parties intensifying their stance during a National Assembly session.
PPP has been accusing the PML-N-led government of constitutional violations, with PPP spokesperson Shazia Marri stating that the government is constitutionally bound to convene a CCI meeting every 90 days. She criticized the government for failing to convene a single meeting in the first 300 days of its tenure, warning that they would not allow any further constitutional breaches.
Marri also highlighted concerns over the government’s handling of the natural gas sector, claiming that while the government was importing expensive Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), it was failing to increase domestic natural gas production. She warned that the PPP would not let the burden of costly LNG imports fall on the public.
In response to the PPP’s protests, the government sought support from its coalition partners and opposition members regarding a new gas pricing mechanism, aimed at addressing the growing gas crisis. The proposed policy would link gas prices to three sources: imports, pipeline supplies, and wellhead production.
Senior PPP leader Naveed Qamar raised concerns over the gas crisis, to which Petroleum Minister Dr. Musadik Malik shifted the blame to the caretaker government.