PPP workers protest ‘undemocratic’ decisions of parliamentary board

PESHAWAR: The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) office-bearers and candidates in various parts of the province are protesting against what they believe are unilateral and undemocratic decisions of the parliamentary board.

The dissidents said they would draw future line of action if these controversial decisions were not withdrawn forthwith.

The PPP parliamentary board includes Farhatullah Baber, Syed Nayyar Hussain Bukhari, Humayun Khan, Faisal Karim Kundi, Rahimdad Khan, Syed Zahir Ali Shah, Masood Kausar and former lawmakers Akhunzada Chattan and Nighat Orakzai.

The parliamentary board recently interviewed candidates in Peshawar.

By nominating widow of late Abdul Akbar Khan for a general seat from Mardan, the parliamentary board forced the supporters of Zeeshan Khanzada Khan, son of Senator Khanzada Khan, to convey their anger by convening a meeting to decide future line of action.

The meeting unanimously decided to part ways with the PPP and contest election on PTI ticket but Khanzada Khan sought some time to take final decision.

PPP deputy general secretary Gohar Inqilabi, who hails from Swabi, said that the entire party units would resign if the undemocratic decisions were not withdrawn by June 29.

To protest against the decisions of the parliamentary board concerning Swabi, Gohar Inqilabi has filed nomination papers for NA-18, PPP district president Mohammad Naeem Khan for NA-19, Ashfaq Khan for PK-43, Tahir Khan for PK-44, Sikandar Irfan for PK-45, Hifz-e-Aman for PK-46 and Malik Jehan Akbar for PK-47. They claimed the board allotted ticket to a person who has not yet joined the party.

The PPP district Swabi organisation had recommended two candidates including Ashfaq Khan and Dr Aqail, who had applied for ticket, but they were astonished that Zulfiqar Khan was declared party candidate even though he has not yet properly joined the party.

The district office-bearers recalled that Zulfiqar Khan was an active member of the Awami National Party and later joined the Qaumi Watan Party. They claimed he is now an office-bearer of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz.

“This is a joke with PPP and insult to its workers,” said Gohar Inqilabi who held the parliamentary board responsible for the existing sorry state of affairs.

“We don’t know as to why Rahimdad Khan and entire board preferred another party’s worker over the PPP jiyalas,” he argued.

He said the local office-bearers, organisations, and candidates have asked the leadership to withdraw the decision to save the party in Swabi.

The board nominated former PTI activist Jawad Khan Baizai for PK-48 Mardan, who the workers said had not yet joined PPP ignoring Salim Khan Babuzai, president PPP Tehsil Katlang.

The party workers lamented that the entire board ignored the sacrifices of Salim Babuzai, who supported the PPP candidate in 2013 against his own brother who was contesting election from the ANP platform.

Malik Ijaz was allotted ticket for PK-54 ignoring the district general secretary, Aurangzeb Khan, who has 50 years long association with the party. Aurangzeb Khan recalled that his and his father Fazal Maula Khan’s sacrifices for the party were forgotten.

He said the board called the people during holy month of Ramazan for interview but decisions had already been taken.

Such attitude, he said, was an insult to the workers, saying they would hoist black flags on their houses and resist the decisions of the parliamentary board.

Ibrar Nahqi, nephew of PPP leader, Israr Nahqi, who had applied from Peshawar, and the provincial president, People’s Doctors Forum, Dr Nisar, also expressed reservations over the board’s decisions.

They observed that rich candidates were preferred over ideological workers, which was not a good omen for the party.

They said they would abide by the party discipline but the distribution of party tickets had discouraged the workers.

People’s Doctors Forum provincial general secretary Dr Daud Iqbal also termed the decision disappointing.

“Such decisions would discourage professionals and technocrats and ideological workers in the party,” he added.

He said that preferring newcomers over ideological workers would harm the party.

Former MNA Pir Dilawar Shah and his brother Pir Adil Shah hailing from Kohat district have returned the party tickets as they decided to contest election in independent capacity.