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Thursday March 28, 2024

Bilawal takes notice of rift within party

To meet Wattoo today in Karachi

By Faizan Bangash
July 02, 2015
LAHORE: PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has sought explanation from central Punjab president over his failure in controlling rift within the party which became obvious after the exodus of two main party stalwarts Samsam Bokhari and Ashraf Khan Sohna who have joined PTI.
Sources stated that Bilawal took notice of the dissenting voices against the central Punjab leadership which failed like anything to save the party from disunity.Both Samsam and Sohna, who served as minister of state and provincial minister respectively in last the PPP tenure, hail from Mian Manzoor Ahmed Wattoo’s hometown. They had developed serious differences with Wattoo over organisational issues and finally quitted the party and joined the PTI after meeting Imran Khan at Bani Gala on Wednesday.
Nazar Mohammed Gondal and Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan are also other two key party figures from the region, who are seriously disappointed over the way the party is being run.The PPP chairman has also telephoned disgruntled Awan, a former federal minister, and invited her for a meeting at Bilawal House, Karachi, to explain her grievances and the problems she is facing under present organisational setup.
Tahir Mehmood Hundli, a former PPP MPA from Sialkot, has already joined the PTI and sources said the was likely to undergo a further testing phase as ticket holders, not only from central region, but also southern belt of Punjab are also likely to quit the PPP.
Talking to The News, Awan stated that both Samsam and Sohna became victim to a specific mindset within the party. She, however, said that the best way to record protest was to raise the matter at the party platform. “One may have differences with his family, but at the end of it day we have to be the party of our family. The PPP is like my family and I will explain my issues directly to my chairman,” said Awan while talking to The News and confirming her meeting with Bilawal.
Meanwhile, according to a press release, Bilawal is holding one-on-one meeting with Wattoo, at Bilawal House Karachi in the late afternoon on Thursday (today).Wattoo will brief the chairman on the party organisation in Punjab at all tiers, forthcoming local bodies’ elections, performance of the party candidates in the bye-elections held in Nankana and Mandi Bahauddin, those who left the party and the understanding reached with other opposition political parties in the province.