KP PPP office-bearers may be reshuffled after Eid

PESHAWAR: The central leadership of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) may reshuffle the provincial office-bearers of the party in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa after Eidul Fitr, a source told The News.

The source said the decision may be announced within three to four weeks after Eidul Fitr. The party’s top leadership has already discussed the worsening situation of the party with senior leaders in KP.

The senior PPP leaders have conveyed their reservations to central leaders, including Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari and Faryal Talpur.

Bahramand Tangi, spokesperson for the provincial president and deputy general secretary, rejected the reports of any reshuffle and said that Humayun Khan, the PPP provincial head, enjoyed the confidence of the party chairman and co-chairman.

He pointed out that it was for the first time in the history of PPP recently that Co-Chairman Asif Zardari paid a five-day visit to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

“Initially Asif Zardari was scheduled to spend two days in Peshawar, but he stayed for five days in the provincial capital to meet PPP workers. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also visited Peshawar to meet party workers,” he added.

Asif Zardari, Bahramand Tangi said, would visit Malakand and Hazara divisions after Eid. Besides, he said Asif Zardari had also announced to hold party workers’ convention.

Both the PPP chairman and co-chairman during their visit to Peshawar had announced to win the polls and form the next government in KP without entering into alliance with any political party. However, some senior PPP leaders had conveyed their reservations to the party leaders and pointed at the dismal position of the party in the province.

The source said prominent provincial leaders could join the ranks of the dissidents, who could announce their future line of action after Eidul Fitr.

Pointing to the presence of likeminded people in almost every district, the source said former Member National Assembly Noor Alam Khan had quit the PPP and joined Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

Earlier, the PPP candidate for PK-6 Peshawar, Ashfaq Khalil, candidate for PK-4, Kifayat Orakzai and Shaukat Ali joined other parties and some others are expected to join PTI.

“One PPP leader informed Asif Zardari and Faryal Talpur about his decision to quit the party and join the PTI. He also returned precious vehicles to Zardari House,” a source said, adding that many others would follow suit.

But Bahramand Tangi, the PPP provincial president Humayun Khan’s spokesman, said that those who have left the party or have planned to quit it had no objection to the party’s manifesto but were being driven by personal grudges.

Quoting Asif Zardari, he said the party leader had clearly said that PPP would not support any corrupt practices of its workers and they would have to clear their names from the National Accountability Bureau.

The PPP workers and voters, he said, were satisfied with the party manifesto.

He said Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi from Sindh and Ghulam Mustafa Khar from Punjab were big names in the PPP at one time, but they could not retain their vote-bank after leaving the party. He believed those quitting the PPP now would meet the same fate, adding Firdous Ashiq Awan and Babar Awan were important when they were in the PPP.

Without naming anyone, he said the same would be the fate of PPP leaders in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa who are abandoning the PPP.

Bahramand Tangi said he would quit politics if it was proved that PPP workers were mishandled during the visits of Asif Zardari and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari to Peshawar.

He said some PPP activists might have their own agendas and they were the ones spreading propaganda among the workers.