The PPP and PML-N continued to engage in a war of words over flood relief on Thursday, as PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari asserted that the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) was the “sole method” of providing relief to those affected by the recent floods in the country, while PML-N’s Maryam Nawaz accused his party of “politicising” the issue.

The two parties, who are coalition partners in the Centre, have recently been arguing over the means for flood relief, with the PPP insisting on the use of BISP and the PML-N disapproving of the proposition. On Wednesday, after the PML-N questioned the transparency of BISP, the PPP accused its senior partner of showing an “irresponsible attitude” by refusing to use the programme’s data to compensate flood-affected people in Punjab.

BISP is a national safety net programme in Pakistan that provides cash assistance to poor and vulnerable families, particularly targeting women.

Addressing a press conference in Karachi today, Bilawal said: “Across the country, the agriculture sector was already struggling, but after the floods, it has been badly affected. Our national food security may also be at risk.

“I had appealed to the federal government to declare a climate emergency and an agriculture emergency to address the losses caused by the floods,” he said. He added that he had also called for the power bills of farmers in affected districts to be waived.

He appreciated the federal government and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for following through on his requests.

Talking about the Sindh government, he said that he had spoken to the Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah about ways to support small farmers and landowners.

He said that through the Benazir Hari Card, the provincial government would support small farmers who owned between one and 25 acres of land. He added that the Sindh government would also support farmers with fertiliser.

“Our effort is to support the wheat crop so that we do not need to import wheat,” he said.

“If provincial and federal governments take timely action, we can not only mitigate the losses from this flood but also avoid a heavy import bill. It is better to spend our resources on our own farmers and the agriculture sector so that Pakistan’s economy can reach a position where we export instead of importing.”

Bilawal highlighted that the effects of the floods were ongoing. He said that while it had impacted the low-lying areas of Sindh, “the scale of loss in Punjab, especially south Punjab, is historic“.

“While it is very important to consider what you will do going forward, the most important thing is what you are doing today,” he said. Therefore, the support provided by the provincial government will be amplified if the BISP is used to reach those areas that are still underwater.

“A natural calamity is not the responsibility of any one province; across the world, the federal government plays the leading role. It is also the responsibility of the federal government to deliver relief to the affected people through BISP,” he said.

He said that while the most damage had been sustained by Punjab, it should not be forgotten that Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had also suffered.

“So, BISP is the sole method through which the federal government can provide immediate relief to the affected people. This has been the standard practice,” he said, adding that the Centre had done the same in the past and during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“If we don’t do this today, I must ask: what is the fault of the people of South Punjab when they face such devastating floods, their homes are destroyed, and they are living on the road?” he said, calling on the federal government to “review its policy”.

He further said the federal government should have sought international help from the outset.

“When the floods began, the federal government should not have waited for any provincial help. It should have issued an international appeal immediately. I am not criticising […] but if you are spending Rs100, you could have spent Rs200; if you were helping 100 people, you could have helped 200,” he said.

“By talking to the international community, by seeking a review of International Monetary Fund (IMF) restrictions, your hand would have been stronger if you had made a timely global appeal as you did previously. This time it should have happened, and it did not,” he said.

‘PPP politicising floods’

’Later in the day, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif accused the PPP of “politicising” the floods.

“The PPP is our ally and I respect them, but unfortunately, they have been politicising the floods in Punjab,” the CM said, addressing a ceremony in Dera Ghazi Khan.

“I don’t know their agenda, but I want to tell [President] Asif Zardari and [PPP Chairman] Bilawal … please help your party’s spokesperson understand that if, Gob forbid, there is a disaster in Sindh, Punjab would stand with it.”

The chief minister then turned her attention to BISP.

“Nowadays, people are talking about distributing aid through BISP. I do not want to criticise them … but they only give Rs10,000 [under this programme]. On the other hand, I will give them (flood victims) Rs1 million.”

Maryam termed flood relief through BISP a “very simplistic solution” and went on to say, “What will people who have lost their homes, cattle, and crops do with just Rs10,000?”

She said she wanted to rebuild the damaged houses and compensate for destroyed crops, but BISP “does not provide enough money”.

Reacting to criticism of not seeking international assistance for flood relief, she said, “The thing is, I am Nawaz Sharif’s daughter, and I will not beg for aid.”

“How long will Pakistan continue to beg the international community for aid? The NFC (National Finance Commission) gives billions to the provinces. What is this money being used for?” she said.