LAHORE: In an interesting political development, former president Asif Ali Zardari has bought a two-kanal house for the Pakistan People’s Party Punjab Secretariat in the neighbourhood of the PML-N’s provincial headquarters in Model Town.

The Model Town house in C Block has been bought in the name of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Bakhtawar Bhutto and Assefa Bhutto. The Sharifs own the PML-N Secretariat in H Block (Model Town).

The PPP leadership has now decided to shift its provincial headquarters from Faisal Town to Model Town. “The old secretariat in Faisal Town will be used for seven other wings of the party,” PPP Punjab President Manzoor Ahmad Wattoo told Dawn.

The PPP, which received drubbing in the general election in Punjab, has been in financial crunch for quite some time. It had acquired the Model Town office on rent before the election. A notice to vacate the house was served on the party when it did not pay the rent for a couple of months. It even had no money to pay the salaries of the employees there as well as those of Faisal Town.

The situation was brought to the knowledge of Asif Ali Zardari who not only directed some ‘rich’ party members including Wattoo to donate (to the party funds) but also sent the amount from his pocket to buy the Model Town office.

Manzoor Wattoo said the PPP had bought the new secretariat out of its funds. He confirmed that it had been purchased in the name of Bilawal, Bakhtawar and Assefa.

Bilawal, who is scheduled to arrive in the provincial capital within a month or so, may not visit the new secretariat because of security concerns. He usually stays in the bomb-proof Bilawal House at Bahria Town. Property tycoon Malik Riaz had got it built for Mr Zardari and members of his family. Zardari claims he had bought the Bilawal House (from Riaz).

Fawad Chaudhry, media adviser to Bilawal, said Mr Bilawal would arrive in Lahore by the end of this month or early next month and have meetings with the party workers especially the youth. Bilawal believes threats cannot deter him from engaging in political activities.