President Asif Ali Zardari has summoned Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi to Karachi as federal efforts begin to defuse an escalating verbal exchange between Punjab and Sindh officials after a dispute over remarks by CM Maryam Nawaz.
ISLAMABAD: (Urdu Point/UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News-Oct,6 ,2025) President Asif Ali Zardari has taken steps to ease rising tensions between the Sindh and Punjab provincial governments, summoning Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi to Karachi for urgent consultations, officials at the Presidency said.
According to sources, President Zardari telephoned Minister Naqvi to discuss the verbal exchanges that have continued between the two provinces in recent days. The Presidency said Naqvi has been asked to travel immediately to Karachi so federal authorities can attempt to calm the situation.
The latest escalation followed a public dispute over remarks made by Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz. The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) expressed strong reservations about the CM’s comments, staged a walkout from the National Assembly and demanded a public apology. Maryam Nawaz, however, stood by her statements and said she would respond firmly to anyone who spoke against Punjab. “As chief minister I will defend the people of the province; I will not apologise,” she said.
The spat intensified when Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Memon challenged Punjab Information Minister Uzma Bukhari to a public debate. Uzma Bukhari accepted and fired back, accusing the Sindh government of failing to deliver during its 17 years in office. “Come to Lahore — I will show you Bahawalpur, Multan, Lodhran, Rahim Yar Khan, Dera Ghazi Khan. You can take me to Kashmore, Nawabshah, or Ghotki and tell us what you have achieved,” she said, criticising Sindh’s record.
Officials said federal intervention aims to prevent the dispute from further inflaming provincial relations. For several days both sides have engaged in heated rhetorical exchanges, prompting concerns in Islamabad about the impact on interprovincial cooperation.
