July 04, 2008	Friday	Jamadi-us-Sani 29, 1429

ISLAMABAD, July 3: New leadership of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has removed a loyalist of Benazir Bhutto and a diehard party worker from an important party office for attending a function arranged by some annoyed members of the party, sources told Dawn on Thursday.

“PPP co-chairman Asif Zardari has appointed Chaudhry Manzoor Ahmad, former PPP MNA, as in charge People’s Labour Bureau (PLB) in place of Abdul Qadir Shaheen with immediate effect,” says a notification issued by the co-chairman’s office in Zardari House. The notification was issued and released to the media at a time when Mr Zardari was even not in the country.

Though, no reason has been cited in the notification for removing Mr Shaheen, who had been serving the party as PLB in charge for over 15 years, sources in the party that the action had been taken by the party leadership because Mr Shaheen had participated in the programme, organised by Naheed Khan, former political secretary to Benazir Bhutto, at Liaquat Bagh on the night between June 20 and 21 to mark the birth anniversary of the late party chairperson.

The sources said many party members and parliamentarians were contacted on telephone on behalf of the co-chairman and they were asked not to attend the function. However, the programme was participated by a sizable number of party activists and it continued throughout the night.

Vice-chairman of the party Makhdoom Amin Fahim was chief guest at the ceremony which was also participated by Senator Safdar Abbasi, Senator Enver Baig, Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan, Naheed Khan and others who had been sidelined by the party after the assassination of Ms Bhutto.

When contacted, Abdul Qadir Shaheen said that he was not aware as to why he had been removed from the office. He said Benazir Bhutto had made him PLB in charge in 1992 in Karachi and he had no desire to keep any office.

He said he attended the Liaquat Bagh function irrespective of the fact who had organised it. He, however, said that no one had asked him not to attend the function.

When contacted, PPP spokesman Farhatullah Babar denied that the party leadership had stopped any one from participating in the Liaquat Bagh function. In fact, he said, Mr Zardari was also invited at the ceremony.

“At least, I am not aware that the party had stopped any one from attending the programme,” he said.