LAHORE, Jan 13: Removal of Ms Sajida Mir, a diehard activist of Pakistan People’s Party and head of its city’s women wing, from the chairpersonship of Punjab Assembly standing committee on health has caused concern among seasoned party leaders who think it will send a ‘wrong’ signal to their workers who are considered PPP’s actual strength.

The action against Ms Mir was initiated after she reportedly attended a function organised in connection with the death anniversary of Benazir Bhutto on Dec 27 at Lahore in which Naheed Khan, Senator Safdar Abbasi and Aitzaz Ahsan featured.

When asked to comment on the decision, Senator Safdar Abbasi said Sajida Mir was a ‘die-hard’ PPP worker and she was only 14 when she had to face imprisonment for the party cause. “It is very unfortunate that she is being victimised for nothing. The action will further widen the gap between the party workers and leadership,” he maintained.

Abdul Qadir Shaheen, another seasoned PPP leader, who was also present in that function, said the action would damage the party in the long run and President Asif Ali Zardari must look into this. He said had Ms Mir not been from working class, she would have been ‘pardoned’ for attending the ‘so-called’ anti-PPP function.

On the other hand, provincial high-ups of the party term the action ‘disciplinary’. Explaining the action, PPP-Punjab General Secretary Samiuallh Khan said the PPP would not compromise on the party discipline.

Khan told Dawn that Ms Mir had been removed from the position for attending some ‘anti-PPP’ functions which, he said, was not worthy of a party worker.

Khan, when asked to comment on reports that Ms Mir was also being removed from the headship of Lahore women wing, replied that there had been no such plans. “Ms Mir has been asked by the party to clear her position”, he added.

Sajida Mir told Dawn that she had only attended the function owing to her long association with Naheed Bibi. “Meeting or accompanying her (Naheed Khan) should not be considered violation of the party discipline,” she said and added that the party was everything for her.