After ruling 16 months in the coalition government, former allies of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), now become political ‘rivals’ as the political temperature has been brewing to its peak level with each passing day since ECP announced general elections to be held on February 8.

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto has now openly been criticising Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PMLN) supremo Nawaz Sharif in his public gatherings and press conferences for one reason or another.

Must Read: Trust your party, do not seek institutions help’: Bilawal advises Nawaz

Bilawal Bhutto advised Nawaz Sharif to trust his party and not to ask for help from other institutions to make ‘political space’ for PMLN in the upcoming general elections.

Addressing a press conference in Mithi, the PPP chairman also asked PMLN supremo to look only towards Lahore and Punjab—in terms of the political baseline of PMLN—as PPP has been looking towards people and highlighting the pro-people and pro-people policies.

Bilawal also questioned the performance of the PMLN ministers in the 16-month stint of PDM government.

Why Bilawal is attacking PMLN bigwigs?

PPP has paced up its criticism of PMLN after its former ally surprised with the formation of the ‘first political alliance’ on November 3 with Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM-P) for the upcoming general elections.

PMLN and MQM-P formed an electoral alliance to contest the general elections in 2024 together. A delegation from the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) reached Lahore from Karachi and held discussions with N-league key leaders Nawaz Sharif and Shehbaz Sharif. The top huddle was attended by bigwigs from both parties and resulted in a joint declaration aimed at addressing the pressing issues facing Pakistan.

MQM-P convener Khalid Maqbool Sidique however, talking to a private television channel, clarified that there has been an understanding and agreement for entering elections together and so far no alliance has been made with the PML-N.

The meeting was followed by the PMLN leaders' visit to Karachi’s MQM-P headquarters wherein both sides vowed to work together for the betterment of the people.

The alliance or agreement—yet to take its final shape in coming weeks—between PMLN and MQM-P irked the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).

Since then Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has paced up its verbal commentary against to echelon of PMLN questioning their past performances.

Bilawal has claimed and alleged that a particular pitch is being prepared to favour a particular party as PML-N leaders have started approaching political parties leaders from Balochistan and Sindh.

Former premiers Nawaz Sharif and Shehbaz Sharif took the thinking minds of the PMLN with them to Balochistan and invited the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) tribal sardars—elected representatives of provinces and make country prospers.

PMLN responds systematically

PML-N has started giving responses to the PPP chairman either directly or without naming the PPP to settle the score and clear the allegation on the performance of PMLN.

On Wednesday, PMLN President Shehbaz Sharif said that they will accept whoever the public chooses as the prime minister, and if the public chooses Nawaz Sharif, then he will be accepted.

Shehbaz said this when asked to comment on PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari’s recent statements that the next prime minister will be from Sindh and that PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif should focus on Lahore only. He was addressing the media in Quetta along with senior politician Nawab Lashkari Raisani on Wednesday.

Former railways minister and PMLN senior leader from Lahore Khawaja Saad Rafique in a tweet said that he should listen to the answer as well after posing a question on PMLN.

Saad Rafique said he or his family neither appeased the British nor former military rulers Ayub Khan and Yahya Khan. He said his family has a legacy of 80 years and served all jails.

He said: “My parents died in the civil dictatorship of late Bhutto (Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto). I served jail three times during the Zia (Zia-ul-Haq) regime and fought against Musharraf dictatorship and faced physical violence.”

Saad Rafique said he is satisfied with his work as a minister.

Another PMLN leader from Faisalabad Abid Sher Ali said that Bilawal needed ‘medicine’ to lighten his condition.

He said before talking about Nawaz Sharif, Bilawal should find his candidates {in Punjab} and where are the PPP candidates.

Former planning minister Ahsan Iqbal also took to X, formally known as Twitter, responded to the PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and said Bilawal mentioning his name questioned whether he could defend the performance of Planning Ministry in the 16-month PDM government.

He said: “I can do so with great pride.”

He counted his feats including passing of key development projects that had been stalled by the Imran government and highlighted key new development projects.

Ahsan Iqbal said several development projects were approved and funded for Sindh province including the famous Thar Coal Project—for which Bilawal Bhutto took credit.

Giving a reality check, he said that the Thar Coal Project was circulating in the papers during the three PPP periods of 1988-90, 1993-96, and 2008-13.

“In the 2013-18 PML-N government, I included him in the CPEC projects on the instructions of the then prime minister Nawaz Sharif, which provided funding for and made the dream a reality, despite the fact that the People's Party was in the opposition since it was a national project.”

He said the unity government of PDM was formed along the lines of national spirit to fix the problems created by PTI.

Ahsan Iqbal said he would ask {Bilawal Bhutto} that political parties should avoid politics of blame-game.