PPP facing reorganisation issue

PESHAWAR: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa president Humayun Khan seems to be alone in his efforts to reorganise the party in the province.

The party leaders and activists in separate chats with The News said that almost all the party office-bearers have either disappeared or take no interest in party affairs.

PPP chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had announced the new office-bearers for the party in November last year after threadbare discussion and on the basis of the report of a five-member committee that had toured the province and talked to workers.

Former finance minister Humayun Khan, belonging to Malakand district, was declared provincial president and Faisal Karim Kundi, a former MNA from Dera Ismail Khan who served as Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, the general secretary.

Former Member National Assembly (MNA) from Bajaur Agency Akhunzada Chattan, was made vice president, Senator Rubina Khalid information secretary and Usman Saifullah deputy general secretary.

The workers observed that Faisal Karim Kundi, Akhunzada Chattan, Rubina Khalid and Usman Saifullah remained either in Islamabad or in their respective areas, leaving Humayun Khan alone to reorganise and reactivate the party.

A PPP activist said: “Though we had reservations, we accepted the decision and expected the new office-bearers to reorganise the party. We saw a positive activity in the beginning but now the situation is deteriorating.”

Several PPP leaders and former candidates of provincial assembly seats, including Ashfaq Khalil (PK-6), Kifayat Orakzai (PK-4) and Shaukat Mohmand (Town-IV) in Peshawar have joined the Awami National Party (ANP) and same is the case in Mardan district and Nowshera where the PPP activists are joining ANP and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz. 

The indifference of the newly appointed party office-bearers has disappointed the workers, who apprehend that the PPP would not be able to win some of its existing assembly seats. They pointed out that the PPP hasn’t completed organisational work while the other parties have already done so and accelerated campaign work in various districts.

Some workers said the central and provincial leaders should have done proper homework before announcing the new office-bearers.

They said the five-member party cabinet was incomplete without the offices of record secretary, office secretary, deputy information secretary, finance secretary and divisional co-coordinators.Divisional coordinators are the most important and effective organ of the body but that is yet to be done, they pointed out.

The party leadership has yet to announce the names of divisional and district presidents. It also hasn’t yet nominated presidents of the youth, women and lawyers’ wings.The party workers said the provincial chapter office-bearers should concentrate on reorganising and reactivating the party to prove that PPP was a major political force in the province.