Trojan horses in PPP

During the last few months, attempts have been made to discredit former president Mr Asif Ali Zardari by his detractors and by non-state actors who wish him to be out of the political scene in order to further their political ambitions. A few so-called leaders of the PPP are also in league with the detractors of the PPP. This group is notoriously known in party circles as the ‘Gang of Four’.

Most of these self-styled leaders or ‘Talk Show Party Leaders’, as party workers call them, were nobodies till Mr Zardari picked them up and appointed them on important offices, both ministerial and within the party. Perhaps, prominence in such a short span of time did not go well with them and the intoxication of power made them think that they could achieve higher offices in league with non-PPP elements. It seems to them the easiest course was to promote and propagate the Minus One Formula as per the intrigues that are hatched in Islamabad.

The first hurdle was to convince the party that Mr Zardari should take a back seat and someone else should take his place. They fully knew that Mr Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was the chairman of the party while Mr Zardari was co-chairman and that this was not the first time this had happened in  the party. Previously as well Begum Sahiba was the chairperson and Mohtarma was co-chairperson. As I said earlier these ‘darbaris’, being new to the party, were not aware of its past history.

Upon the sad demise of Makhdoom Amin Fahim Sahib this group wanted to avail this opportunity by getting one of them elected as the new president of the 4 Ps (PPPP). Since the present assemblies and Senate belong to the 4Ps they were of the view that they would control the legislative part of the party. Their designs were foiled as Mr Zardari was elected unanimously as the new president by the CEC or 4 Ps. Thus the designs of these Trojan Horses was checkmated.

Moreover, it is not for the first time that such an attempt has been made to weaken the party. After the martyrdom of Bhutto Sahib the Establishment tried to take over the party through the ‘Uncles’. The Establishment’s nefarious designs were foiled by party workers led by Begum Sahiba and Mohtarma.

During the occasion of Youm-e-Tasees at Lahore Mr Aurangzeb Burki got the resolution unanimously approved that Mr Asif Ali Zardari is our leader and would  remain our leader along with Mr Bilawal Bhutto. The approval was not only unanimous but enthusiastic as well.

Continuous character assassination of Mr Zardari through the media is not countered effectively by those who have been given the task to do so by the party. It is the second-rung leadership that blunts the criticism in the media through the press and electronic media.

It has not been long since this very group used to go beyond any limits of sycophancy of Mr Zardari. Their new game-plan was to sideline Zardari Sahib and encircle Bilawal Bhutto Sahib and misguide him on political issues.