Bilawal’s visit leaves PPP workers high and dry

PESHAWAR: The workers of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have termed the party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s visit spanning a few hours to the provincial capital insufficient as they wanted him to listen to their grievances.

“Our party chairman is in Punjab for the last 10 days. He spent just a few hours in Peshawar. This shows how much importance he gives to our province,” said a PPP leader who wished not to be named.

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari held separate meetings with the provincial level office-bearers and former heads of the party in the province. He also addressed a gathering of workers at a hotel in Peshawar.

PPP Deputy General Secretary Bahramand Tangi said that Bilawal was supposed to spend three days in Peshawar, but the visit was cut short due to his other engagements.

PPP former provincial head Syed Zahir Ali Shah said he suggested to the party chairman that they would have to end drawing room politics.

He said the party couldn’t be reorganised without holding workers’ conventions.

PPP’s parliamentary leader in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Nighat Orakzai suggested they would have to hold public meetings like other parties.

Former federal minister Khwaja Mohammad Khan Hoti also suggested that the party should hold workers’ convention instead of holding closed door meetings.

Senior PPP leader Syed Ayub Shah argued that the party could not be strengthened without reviewing and reviving its original ideology. He said they would have to restore confidence of the people in the PPP.

Former PPP former provincial head Anwar Saifullah Khan underlined the need for launching people contact movement to seek the support of the masses.

Another PPP leader and former governor Masood Kausar said he had repeatedly requested the party leadership to quit drawing room politics as it cannot win elections without the support of the general public.

A party activist said they wanted to convey their reservations and suggestions to the party chairman, but they were not given the chance.

“We wanted to suggest to our chairman to hold public meetings and hear the workers instead of addressing a select gathering,” noted another PPP worker.

“We wanted the accountability of the corrupt elements in the party. We wanted our chairman to assure us that steps would be taken to reinvigorate the party, but no such assurance came from him,” he added.