Former MNA joins PPP

Sardar Khalid Ahmed Khan says Bilawal can make Pakistan egalitarian society

Sardar Khalid Ahmed Khan Lund, a former MNA from Ghotki, called on former president, and patron-in-chief of the PPP, Asif Ali Zardari and announced joining the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) at the Bilawal House on Saturday.

From Karachi to Kashmir, Khan said, it was only PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari who could carry on with the mission of the founder of the nation Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, PPP founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and former prime minister Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto to make Pakistan a model Muslim-majority egalitarian society. — PPI

Earlier on Thursday, a former provincial minister and leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in Sindh, Nadir Akmal Khan Leghari, joined the ruling Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), News Desk adds.

Leghari used to earlier serve as the provincial president of the PTI in Sindh – a position now held by MNA Dr Arif Alvi. His joining is being considered a major setback to the PTI in the province, by political analysts.

The former senior PTI leader announced switching sides with the PPP after he met with former president Asif Zardari at the Bilawal House. Leghari was said to have expressed complete confidence in Zardari and PPP chief, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s, leadership.

Known for his political experience in Sindh’s politics, Nadir Leghari served as the provincial irrigation and power minister from 2002 to 2007, during Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) led provincial government in the province.

A day earlier, former PPP MNA Nabil Gabol, who has a strong support base in Lyari had announced rejoining the PPP after he severed ties with the party four years ago.

Gabol had then joined the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and was elected an MNA on the party’s ticket in 2013’s general elections; he resigned from the party and his seat in February 2015.

While some residents are happy with his return, others deem him irrelevant to Lyari’s politics;PPP’s South district leaders bemoan they were not consulted before allowing Gabol back into the party

Nabil Gabol, who had ended his 25-year association with the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) by joining the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) in March 2013, announced returning to the PPP on Wednesday.

In a meeting with PPP supremo Asif Ali Zardari at the Bilawal House, Gabol expressed complete confidence in the leadership of Zardari and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, said a statement. Gabol’s son Nadir was also present in the meeting.

Gabol told the media that his meeting with Zardari was quite pleasant. “I have been a diehard jiyala from the beginning. All my focus would now be on reorganising the party in Karachi,” he said.

Lyari was the epicentre of the Gabol family’s political dynasty until his departure from the PPP. Gabol’s grandfather Allah Bakhsh defeated Sir Abdullah Haroon in the 1937 legislative assembly polls, while his uncle Abdul Sattar on the PPP ticket defeated Mahmood Haroon in 1970. Nabil himself was a five-time winner from Lyari on the PPP ticket since 1988.

However, after strengthening the now proscribed Peoples Aman Committee (PAC), led by Uzair Jan Baloch, and repeatedly being sidelined by the PPP leadership, he started mulling over leaving the party.