BAHAWALPUR: PPP renegade couple -- Ms Naheed Khan and her husband and ex-senator Safdar Abbasi -- have alleged that a “mafia” opposed to late Benazir Bhutto’s ideology and vision was in illegal possession of the party.

The couple, while addressing a gathering of like-minded dissidents here on Thursday, demanded that PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto and his father and party’s co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari should honourably retire, handing over the party to workers.

Ms Nahee d said Bilawal was like a child to her and he should have to decide whether he wanted to adopt vision of PPP founder late Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.

Referring to PPP lawmakers, she said those sitting in the elected houses had nothing to do with the ‘real’ People’s Party.

She said party’s actual owners were the diehard workers (Jiyalas) who lived in the streets and mohallas of the country.

She said she was not against any person but was opposed to the existing system which had confined the PPP to only Sindh.

Safdar Abbasi said he and his wife, with the support of party workers, would complete the “mission of Bhuttoism”.

He said Bilawal should prove that he was following the ideology of his late mother Benazir Bhutto.

He said both Bilawal and his father (Asif Zardari) had disappointed the PPP workers and now it was time they should hand over the party’s leadership to workers.

Tribunal summons eight presiding officer of NA-192

SUMMONED: An election tribunal headed by retired district and sessions judge Chaudhry Abdul Hafeaz, hearing a poll plea on Thursday summoned eight presiding officers of NA-192 (Rahim Yar Khan) for recording their statements.

The tribunal was hearing the plea filed by PML-N candidate Makhdum Ahmed Alam Anwar against PPP MNA Khwaja Qutubuddin from NA-192.

Respondent’s counsel had requested the tribunal to summon all the 90 presiding officers from the constituency for recording their statements. However, the judge summoned eight of them.

The tribunal also opened some of the bags containing election material pertaining to polling stations for their examination and verification of ballots.

According to sources, after examination of the poll material it transpired that most of the bags were without electoral rolls and candidates’ ballot papers.

There was also a clear difference of votes in the lists of counted voters prepared by the presiding officers and those by the Election Commission of Pakistan.

The hearing was adjourned for Oct 14 when the tribunal would record the statements of the eight presiding officers it had summoned.

Published in Dawn, October 10th, 2014