KARACHI(National times)- President Asif Ali Zardari contacted Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi via telephone amid escalating tensions between provincial governments, summoning him to Karachi for urgent discussions. According to sources, the two discussed the growing discord between the Sindh and Punjab governments, particularly following recent verbal fight over post-flood performance. President Zardari emphasized the need for resolving issues through understanding and cooperation at both federal and provincial levels. The friction intensified when Sindh’s Senior Minister Sharjeel Memon challenged the Punjab government to a public debate on development performance. Punjab’s Information Minister Azma Bukhari accepted the challenge, escalating the political drama. Local politicians have also joined the fight.

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In a recent press conference, Memon accused the Punjab government of using Sindh as a scapegoat to target the Prime Minister and warned of attempts to strain PPP’s alliance with the federal government. Responding sharply, Punjab’s Azma Bukhari questioned whether Memon was advised by the Prime Minister to politicize the flood crisis, accusing him of playing into a conspiracy narrative.