Zardari arrives in Peshawar to muster support for PPP candidate

NA-4 Peshawar by-election

PESHAWAR: Former President Asif Ali Zardari arrived in the provincial capital on Monday in a bid to accelerate the election campaign for the by-poll on NA-4 Peshawar in support of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) candidate Asad Gulzar.

Senator Khanzada Khan and others welcomed Asif Zardari at the Bacha Khan International Airport.

Asif Zardari, who is also the president of the PPP went straight to the residence of the party’s provincial head Humayun Khan where he presided over a meeting of party leaders.

During the visit, Zardari will hold meetings with the party leaders at the residence of former federal minister, Arbab Alamgir Khan and address election gatherings in the National Assembly constituency NA-4 in rural Peshawar.

Later, he would also visit Nowshera to address a public gathering at the residence of Pir Nabi Amin, the Pir of Manki Sharif.

An influential figure of the area, Pervez Hakeem Khan, is expected to announce joining the PPP on the occasion.

Zardari, who held a meeting with the PPP provincial leaders Humayun Khan and Faisal Karim Kundi and PPP candidate for NA-4, Asad Gulzar, at the Bilawal House in Karachi a few days back, wants to engage the party workers actively in the election campaign and assign them duties at the union council level.

NA-4 Peshawar fell vacant after the death of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)’s dissident Member National Assembly (MNA) Gulzar Khan.

The PPP nominated his son, Asad Gulzar for the by-election after he joined the party.

Asad Gulzar would face Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)’s Nasir Khan Musazai, PTI’s Arbab Amir Ayub, Awami National Party (ANP)’s Khushdil Khan, Jamaat-e-Islami (JI)’sWasil Farooq Chamkani and some independent candidates in the contest.

The PPP workers have been alleging that the federal and provincial governments were using government machinery and resources to muster support for their candidates.

They claimed the ruling PML-N and PTI were announcing development projects including the installation of electricity transformers and solar panels and supply of natural gas to attract the electorate.

The central leaders of various parties have planned to address public meetings in the constituency.

After the two-day visit of Asif Zardari, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is scheduled to visit Peshawar on October 24 to address a public meeting in NA-4 Peshawar.

The party’s provincial chapter office-bearers in a meeting presided over by Humayun Khan discussed arrangements for the scheduled meetings.

Members of the central executive council, former provincial presidents, elected members and office-bearers from various divisions attended the meeting.

The meeting finalised strategy for election on NA-4 and appointed a caretaker at every union council who will be the in-charge of all arrangements, meetings, fundraising and expenses.

They expressed concern over the excessive use of government resources by both the federal and provincial governments for their candidates in NA-4. They also questioned the silence of the
Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) over the alleged violation of the code of conduct.

Talking to reporters, Humayun Khan said the use of government machinery by the federal and provincial governments was tantamount to pre-poll rigging and asked the ECP to take notice of violation of election code of conduct.

Humayun Khan said the by-poll for NA-4 would not be considered fair and impartial if the ECP failed to stop these violations.

He hoped Asad Gulzar would win the election by a big margin with the active support of the party workers despite the use of unfair means by government-backed candidates.