July 25, 2008	Friday	Rajab 21, 1429

ISLAMABAD, July 24: A meeting of members of PPP’s central executive committee from Punjab and the provincial executive committee held here on Thursday to discuss organisational matters was marred by an altercation between party leaders Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan and Babar Awan on the judges’ issue.

According to sources, Mr Awan interrupted Chaudhry Aitzaz when he told PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, who was presiding over the meeting, that “some people are giving you wrong advice”.

Chaudhry Aitzaz said Mr Awan and MNA Farzana Raja were very ably defending the party’s position on the judges’ issue, but their credibility had been eroding.

Mr Awan stated in an aggressive tone that he and his colleagues were following the party’s policy which was dearer to them than credibility.

He said Chaudhry Aitzaz had always given wrong advice to the party and late chairperson Benazir Bhutto. Citing examples, he said Chaudhry Aitzaz had advised Ms Bhutto not to return to the country and not to accept the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO). He said the president of the Supreme Court Bar Association had also advised the party to boycott the general elections.

The sources quoted Mr Awan as alleging that Chaudhry Aitzaz had avoided Ms Bhutto when other party leaders were putting their lives in danger by attending rallies and public meetings with her.

He said some active participants of the lawyers’ movement for reinstatement of the judges were appearing in cases before the ‘PCO judges’ at the same time.

He accused Chaudhry Aitzaz of riding two boats and advised him to “return to the party”.

Mr Awan said he had nothing personal against (deposed) Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry but he believed that there could be a confrontation between national institutions after his reinstatement.

Chaudhy Aitzaz did not directly respond to Mr Awan, the sources said.

He told Mr Zardari in a calm manner that the delay in reinstatement of the judges could harm the party.

He was of the view that economic stability was also linked to reinstatement of the judges.

Leader of the House in the Senate Raza Rabbani complained of a lack of interaction between the government and the party. He advised the leadership to follow in the footsteps of Ms Bhutto and benefit from the experience of earlier PPP governments.

When contacted, PPP spokesman Farhatullah Babar expressed his ignorance about the party’s vice-chairman Makhdoom Amin Fahim’s absence from the meeting although it was attended by Senator Rabbani and Information Minister Sherry Rehman from Sindh.

According to a press release, the meeting took several decisions for reactivating the party and pursuing projects aimed at welfare of the people.

It took stock of the political situation in Punjab and decided to fill vacant posts in different organisations and give recognition to workers in addressing development issues.

It decided that organisations at the provincial level would meet every month and prepare plans for the uplift of the people.

All organisations of the party at the provincial, district, tehsil and lower levels were directed to hold fortnightly meetings on organisational matters. Record of the minutes of the meetings with names of the members not attending them would be communicated to the higher organisations, it said.

It was decided that the office-bearers who did not participate in the party’s activities would be changed.

“Proposals for filling vacant posts or changing office-bearers, where required, should be submitted to the provincial president and secretary general of the party within 30 days,” it said.

Federal Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf and Adviser Rehman Malik and PPP secretary general Jehangir Bader also attended the meeting.