PPP promises active participation in protest

PESHAWAR: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) provincial president Senator Khanzada Khan has said his party is part and parcel of the three-party alliance and will participate in the opposition protest meeting today (Tuesday).
Speaking at a news conference on Monday, he directed party organisations and workers to participate in the opposition protest meeting that would be addressed by Awami National Party President Asfandyar Wali Khan, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman and PPP’s senior leader and former prime minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani.
Flanked by other office-bearers and the party leaders including Najmuddin Khan, Rahimdad Khan, Humayun Khan, Nighat Orakzai, Malik Tehmas Khan, Akbar Khan, Mohem Afridi, Zulqarnain and others, he said they would continue the protest movement till the removal of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-led provincial government.
Khanzada Khan alleged that the PTI’s government had rigged the local government elections. He said his party would emerge victorious if free and fair elections were held. Without naming anyone, he said someone wanted to confuse the people by issuing irresponsible statements, saying his party would participate in every opposition movement.
Khanzada Khan did not agree with a journalist, who said that the PPP faced a crushing defeat in the LG elections only because of internal differences and lack of coordination in the party.He said the people would witness the PPP participation in today’s public meeting and in future protest movement against the government. He referred to the presence of senior party leaders and other office-bearers insisting that there was no rift in the party.
A former provincial president and senior minister Rahimdad Khan, who is also PPP chairman in tripartite alliance, said holding a local government re-election under the current set-up would do no good. He demanded resignation of rulers and a fresh ballot under caretakers.
Criticising those violating the party’s discipline, Rahimdad said they had ignored the practice in the past only because the party workers had rendered great sacrifices but this time, he said, the central leaders had also taken notice of the situation. He said they could not tolerate such violations and the party would take action at a proper time.
He claimed that the party’s organisations including youth, students, women wings, lawyers and others would participate in the protest and continue to do so till the acceptance of oppositions’ demands.
A former federal minister Najmuddin Khan said it could be personal decision of PPP leader Syed Zahir Ali Shah, saying the workers would comply with the party’s directives instead of obeying someone’s personal views.
He said all the major parties including ANP, JUI-F bagged less seats in the LG polls due to the massive rigging of the PTI.
The PPP president and his party office-bearers addressed the press conference to respond to one of their party senior leaders Syed Zahir Ali Shah, who announced the previous day that his party would not join the opposition protest movement. The PPP leaders said they were responding to Syed Zahir Ali Shah press conference on the directives of the party’s central leadership.