LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Friday fired a fresh salvo at coalition partner Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), accusing it of corruption and warning political rivals against targeting her government’s performance.

“One party (PPP) is involved in corruption and the other (PTI) in anarchy. I would like to ask them to follow in the footsteps of the PML-N to serve the people,” Maryam said while speaking at the inauguration of a cardiac transplant centre at the Jinnah Institute of Cardiology here on Friday.

The chief minister’s remarks appear to signal a hardening of PML-N’s stance towards the PPP, which has recently intensified its criticism of the federal and Punjab governments over their political mandate and alleged electoral irregularities in Azad Kashmir.

The latest exchange has exposed growing strains within the ruling alliance, with PPP leaders repeatedly describing the PML-N governments as products of a “Form-47 mandate”, while PML-N leaders have increasingly hit back by questioning the PPP’s record of governance.

Ms Nawaz’s cabinet members, particularly Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari, have already been engaged in a war of words with the PPP, mainly over the latter’s criticism of the Punjab government’s performance and its references to Form-47 following the Kashmir elections.

On Friday, CM Maryam herself entered the fray, making it clear that her government would respond if the PPP continued to target the PML-N, particularly over its governance in Punjab.

Earlier, Ms Bokhari had accused the PPP of being unable to “digest” the pace of development in Punjab under Ms Maryam’s administration.

“Those who are envious of Punjab’s progress and prosperity may continue to criticise, but the journey of public service will not stop,” Bokhari had said.

The PPP, however, has maintained that the PML-N lacks the moral authority to question its governance or political standing. Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon recently accused the PML-N of having come to power on the basis of a “fake mandate”.

“The public knows who came to power through Form-47 and who enjoys the real mandate. The PML-N has been pursuing politics marked by arrogance, intolerance and provocative rhetoric,” he said.

The PPP’s criticism echoes a central allegation made by Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) since the Feb 8, 2024 general elections — that the election results were manipulated to deprive the party of seats and facilitate the formation of PML-N-led governments.

The increasingly sharp rhetoric between the two coalition partners comes despite their continued political cooperation at the federal level. The exchanges suggest that while the two parties remain allies in government, their political interests — particularly in Punjab and Sindh — are becoming increasingly difficult to reconcile.

Published in Dawn, August 22nd, 2026