Ex-MPA from Haripur, others quit PPP to join QWP

PESHAWAR: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Haripur chapter president and former Member Provincial Assembly (MPA) Dr Faiza Rasheed formally joined the Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) along with her supporters on Monday. She made the announcement at a press conference at the Peshawar Press Club.

The QWP office-bearers including Hashim Raza Advocate, Neelam Gigyani, Tariq Ahmad Khan, Malik Naveed and others welcomed her to the party fold. They hoped she would help strengthen the party in Hazara division. Accompanied by Seth Fazlur Rahman and Akhlaq Awan, Dr Faiza Rashid recalled the sacrifices of her family for the PPP, saying that many ideological workers would soon join the QWP.

She said there were three types of workers in every party. One, she said, were those who remained in the political party on the basis of their wealth but they had no respect. “The second type of workers are the ones who made money by committing corruption and third ones are the ideological workers. They are the real assets and they joined a party on the basis of their ideology,” she explained.

Dr Faiza Rasheed recalled that her family had joined PPP in 1967 when the party was launched by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. She said that she and her elders never compromised on principles despite facing huge losses.

Dr Faiza Rasheed said she stood with PPP through thick and thin and never betrayed but the sitting leadership was opportunists. She said after the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, the party has lost its structure.

The former MPA said the present leadership compromised on principles for gaining power and ruined its structure sand organizations. Reposing confidence in the leadership of Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao and Sikandar Sherpao, she said she would reorganize the QWP and prove all those wrong who said QWP was a smaller party. She said the workers would prove their strength and power in the next election, saying they would win seats under the leadership of the existing sincere and mature leadership.

Seth Fazlur Rahman said he had joined the PPP in 1967 but the lack of interest by the leadership had discouraged the sincere workers. He said he had worked with Aftab Sherpao and Hayat Sherpao in the past but now the dedicated workers had been disappointed. Dr Faiza, Seth Fazlur Rahman, Akhlaq Awan vowed to render sacrifices for QWP, where the workers were enjoying great respect. Later, Dr Faiza along with her supporters visited Watan Kor to meet the party leadership.