ISLAMABAD, Sept 13: While the People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPP) is beset with an embarrassing situation over the controversial Women Protection Bill, several party MNAs in a meeting here on Wednesday lashed out at some of the party office- bearers for allegedly misinforming party chairperson Benazir Bhutto about their activities, sources told Dawn.

During the three-hour long meeting, the sources said, the PPP MNAs regretted that the party leadership was doubting their sincerity on the basis of e-mails and reports being sent to Ms Bhutto from time to time by some of the office-bearers from Pakistan despite the fact that they had proved their commitment with the party for the past many years, especially in the last four years.

The MNAs were discussing media reports that Ms Bhutto had assigned party secretary general Jahangir Badar and Sindh president Qaim Ali Shah the task to ensure complete support to the women protection bill, seeking amendments to Hudood laws, after she was informed that there was a group of over a dozen MNAs who had some reservations over the party’s decision to extend all-out support to the bill.

The list which was allegedly sent to Ms Bhutto contained several big names like Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Fauzia Wahab, Mehreen Anwer Raja, Samina Khalid Ghurki, Nayyar Bokhari, Qamaruz Zaman Kaira, Chaudhry Manzoor Ahmed, Zamarud Khan and others.

Raja Pervez Ashraf and Syed Khurshid Shah, who were presiding over the meeting, faced great difficulty in containing the angry MNAs who even threatened to boycott the next party meetings if their sincerity was doubted in the same manner.

According to the sources, the MNAs suggested that the party should not seek their advice on any issue and they should simply be informed about the final decision of Ms Bhutto on any matter. They said there was no use of holding consultations with the MNAs if Ms Bhutto was to take a decision only on the basis of the reports being sent to her by few party influentials.

The protesting MNAs complained that whenever they gave any suggestion in the party meetings it was wrongly conveyed to Ms Bhutto and she was given an impression that some members opposed the chairperson’s decision.